What It Means To Be Human
by chivalry-is-dead
Summary: Based After Movie A GMC Topkick kills a family, leaving a girl scarred for life after seeing her parents die then her sister in the after explosion. Can a battlehardened warrior who has an obsession for cannons help her out? Thinking IronhideXOC...
1. Prologue

chiv-id: I know that I already have another thing going, but you know, I am totally obsessed with Transformers ever since my dad brought the DVD home! So excited! So without further ado:

Disclaimer: chivalry-is-dead does not own Transformers, however, she does own Leanna!

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What It Means To Be Human

Prologue:

Name: Leanna Aiko Keyes

Age: 19 years old

Relatives: Alexander-James (AJ, for those lame-brains who actually think that I was going to keep his extended name) Keyes (deceased at age 36), Aiko Watara Keyes (deceased at age 35), Kelly Yuki Keyes (deceased at age 5)

Looks: Part Asian, part African American (I have a friend like that, so no laughing because I punched out another friend who thought it was funny), is about 5' 9", exotic looks, which include slanted eyes, coffee-and-cream-colored skin, bright onyx eyes, wavy black hair, and drop-dead gorgeous curves (including some pretty sweet muscles), has a size C bust

Personality: A bit on the short tempered side, but overall very sweet, has few friends (Sam and Mikaela being one of them), enjoys reading and training in her various sports, smarter then she lets on, going back to sports, she enjoys judo, boxing, wrestling, and gymnastics; spends a lot of time with Mikaela and knows how to fix cars as much as Mikaela does and enjoys cars a lot (though she has a very vivid fear of trucks-you'll understand later), loves to eat anything except for anything that you can make smores out of (again, will know later), her favorite car is the 2009 Chevrolet Camero


	2. Weekends Are A Bitch

chiv-id: Hello! I'm updating the first chapter today with the prologue, then maybe the second one because I've already typed it up. That's how totally excited I am on this! Okay, once again, without further-

Leanna: Yo! I'm just gonna do the disclaimer since she's taking so damn long:

Disclaimer: chivalry-is-dead doesn't own Transformers, so don't fucking try to get free Transformer toys or anything, got it?

Sam, Mikaela, and chiv-id: (staring) Got it...

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What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 1: Weekends Are A Bitch…

"_I hoped you packed everything 'cause we ain't coming back, ya hear Leanna?" called AJ Keyes, hopping into his black GMC Topkick, turning the keys in the ignition._

_"Yeah, yeah Dad, I hear ya! Just a sec, I'm helping Kelly with her food and her dolls, because _she_ doesn't want to leave them and _she's_ being a baby about it!" taunted a fifteen-year-old-Leanna, Kelly, 5 years old, pouting and on the verge of crying._

_"I'm _not_ being a baby about it, so quit it!" whined Kelly, hugging her brown teddy bear which she dubbed Coco and wrote it in permanent marker on its butt, against her mother's wishes, "Mom, Leanna won't leave me alone!"_

_"Leanna…" Aiko Watara Keyes warned, putting her hands on her daughters' heads to stop them from fighting, "I want this to be a nice picnic! And it won't be nice if you continue to berate each other! Now, Leanna, put the basket into the truck while I try to help Kelly in picking one stuffed animal to bring to the picnic." At this, Kelly gave a pouting face again and looked at her mother with puppy-dog eyes._

_"_Only_ one?" asked the young girl, hugging her teddy bear closer._

_"Only one," repeated her mother, the girl running away with the teddy bear to the car, "I swear, when she stops loving that teddy bear, she won't be my little girl anymore."_

_"C'mon, mom! She's not grown up yet! You still have time and I'd appreciate it if you could use some of that precious time to help me get Kelly into the seat, she wants you to help her!" Leanna grunted, Kelly refusing to be picked up and now had her legs on the side of the frames in clear denial._

_"Do I see someone's legs on my pickup? Do I have to go back there and do some tacklin' or what?" joked the dad, looking at the whole affair in his mirror, Kelly reluctantly putting her legs down and letting her big sister get pushed into the pickup._

_"Gets 'em every time," the dad chuckled to the mother as she glided into the passenger's seat, "So, do we have everything, mama?"_

_"Yes, dad, we have everything, now can we go? I promised Mikaela I was gonna meet her at the park today!" yelled an impatient Leanna, frowning and pouting. At this, everyone laughed, even Kelly, always eager to see her big sister lose her cool. And Leanna replied by noogying her little sister's head, to which Kelly started crying._

_"Leanna! Stop picking on your sister! I guess it's time to go." Aiko sighed, putting a hand on her spouse's arm. Smiling and nodding, AJ looked both ways before driving onto the street and stopped at the intersection, at the same time another GMC Topkick, also black, was in pursuit and was veering for the intersection, with the cops on his tail. The man swerved as he approached the unsuspecting family._

_"Now, remember, you go play with your bear aaaaaallllll the way on mom and dad's side of the lake and I go waaaaayyyyy over on the other side and play on the tire swing with Mikaela. And I promise I won't tease you about your bear until next month, 'kay?" Leanna informed her sister, her sister nodding in her car seat. AJ and Aiko just shook their heads, but turned towards the back to smile at the children. They began reprimanding Leanna when they all heard the sirens and looked forward. By then, the other pickup was insanely close to the intersection. Unfortunately, a police car with a veteran and a newbie out on his first chase was right behind, but the newbie thought it a good idea to shoot at the truck to stop it from getting to the intersection and the other people._

_"Kid, no!" cried the old grey-haired man, managing to grab the boy's shoulder, but it was too late. The shot fired off and it hit the back right tire, just as the fleeing truck was making a left turn. The car swerved too much to the left and skidded instead, rolling and hitting the family truck, also rolling after. The police cars all stopped at the wreckage, the boy getting out and looking in horror at the mess. The veteran just sighed sadly and ran his hand through his grey hair._

_"What…what have I done?" asked a horrified green horn, taking a step towards the twisted and heated metals of the two black GMC Topkicks. A coughing sound was heard and he raced forward, looking in the back window of the family's Topkick. It was Leanna, her body in an awkward position with her back and head scrunched up against the top of the vehicle, coughing and her holding her right arm which was bloody and obviously dislocated and broken. The green horn quickly dove in and unbuckled her seat belt, emerging from the wreckage again with Leanna in his arms, tears rolling down his cheeks in a small relieved way._

_"At least…at least she's okay," he sobbed as if it made everything better, putting his face in her hair, matted and bloody as well. Suddenly, she coughed and her eyes burst wide open, remembering the skidding car hitting hers and her breath hitched in her throat, making her gasp for air every so often._

_"Kee…Keeeelll…Keeeellllyyy," groaned Leanna, disoriented and she looked at the wreckage, small bouts of orange flames licking the sides of the vehicles, "Where's Kelly?" The green horn looked surprised and gently lowered her to the ground, and turned back to look, but a huge explosion threw everyone who was on their feet looking at the spectacle on their backs, fire engulfing the trucks. A small scream, so small no one could hear it except for the one who knew it best._

_"Kelly…" she whispered, Leanna looking at the trucks in confusion and dizziness, but then it dawned on her and her eyes snapped wide open, "NOOOO!!!! KEEELLLYYYY!" Despite the pain, she got up and began running forward, but the green horn grabbed her leg, telling her it was too dangerous._

_"NOOOOO!!! NO NO NO NOOOO!!!" she screamed in agony, finally collapsing and falling into the newbie officer's arms, "KEEELLLYY! NOT BABY MY SISTER, NO!" At this, the officer who held her realized this and felt even more torn, hugging her as much for himself as for her. He held her as she screamed the name of her loved ones in the air…_

"NOOOOO!!!!" Leanna screamed again, but this time, sitting straight up in her bed so quickly it gave her a fainting spell. Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, she wiped her forehead and glared at the clock which had the time of 7:00 in the morning. Groaning, she got out of bed, she clutched her head in anger and walked haphazardly to do her morning ritual. After praying to God to keep her family safe to a small shrine, called a _hotokesama_ in Japanese, that was supposed to help keep communication to her family, she attended to her more hygienic duties.

"I have to meet Mikaela today…" she said to herself, looking at the small calendar that had the day's plans on it. She wondered if weekends were always going to be a bitch or what, but she never really liked them. Weird, but true she remarked to herself, recalling her friend Mikaela's words. Grabbing a quick bite to eat, she set off with a white tank top and a matching grey sweat suit, a bag on her back, heading to the park where she would meet up with Mikaela and her new boyfriend, the infamous Sam Witwicky. She pondered on the name.

'A weird name for a weird boy,' she guessed in her head, stopping at an intersection and waiting for the light to turn green. She glanced over to the right, where three memorial crosses were set up, two bigger ones and one smaller one. Leanna's gaze softened infinitely at these three sites, kneeling down and placing three white lilies on them. It was the memorials of her family, this was the exact site where they had died and where Leanna had barely made it out alive with the help of the foolish boy who caused the wreck. The light had changed to green, signaling that it was safe for her to cross.

"Hey, Kae! What's happening?" she called out while waving her hand, spotting the beautiful teenager with the more average-looking boy at her side, Sam Witwicky. She waved a hello at her friend's new boyfriend, having accepting him a long while ago. They jogged a little, hanged out and just talked, as any normal group of teenagers would do. Then, it was time to go check out the new cars they had at the mall. Mikaela and Leanna had been doing this since the time of the accident, cars helping Leanna block out the pain with her fascination with them.

"Well, if you want, you can hop in my ride," offered Sam, pointing to the parking lot, "I know it's only like a few miles away, but I think a ride to the mall will get the itch out of driving my car, you know?" Leanna accepted his offer, traveling with her companions to the parking lot. Only, she stopped in her tracks as she stared at the car Sam was pointing to in which they'd go to the mall in. It had a sleek and muscular build of a truck, black as midnight and glinted with a special shine, the three letters "GMC" clearly printed in red in front of the grill. Leanna knew this truck to be a GMC Topkick, and she backed away, making Sam suspicious.

"Hey, Lea…you okay? A minute ago you were talking and now you're just looking freaked out and staring at my truck. It's not that intimidating," Sam joked, but Mikaela punched him and dragged him over to another area of the parking lot, Leanna just kept staring at the truck and backing away until she was up against a tree and leaned against it for support. It was the truck that killed her parents and sister, the same model that they died in and the same model that was the cause of their death. It was painful just to see the sun bouncing off it.

"You _know_ that was the same model truck her whole family got killed by! Why'd you bring Ironhide?!? Now she's gonna get freaked out and she's going to run back home and stay secluded at her house for a month! God, Sam, you're so stupid!" she hissed, anger clearly written over her face.

"I'm sorry! I honestly thought she was over it, and if she wasn't, I think it would be better if she faced her demons," reasoned Sam, trying to justify his means, "Mikaela…if she doesn't get over it now…how's she going to get over it later?" At this, Mikaela had no words and stood there contemplating in silent, but nodding reluctantly after and knew that her friend would most likely come out traumatized by this experience.

"Leanna…c'mon, it's been four years…you need to let it go," Sam offered as a start, Mikaela first glaring at him, then softening her gaze towards Leanna.

"As much as I'd hate to say it…Sam's right…you need to face your fears…" Mikaela helped her up, Leanna's gaze never moving from the truck in horror. Mikaela then slowly and with difficulty, even with the help from Sam, pushed Leanna right in front of the confused Autobot.

'What are these humans up to now…' wondered Ironhide, seeing the girl pushed up in front of him. He just stayed still like an obedient human truck and just waited for something, anything to happen. What happened next was something he'd never expect, the girl shrieked in terror and kicked him in the grill which ushered a silent "ouch" in annoyance from Ironhide. Again she kicked him and ran away, Mikaela rushing to get Leanna back.

"Err…sorry about that Ironhide," Sam said nervously, getting an irritated grumble from him, "She's…she's had a bit of a past with the model of your truck."

"Hmm?" questioned Ironhide, interested a little.

"Well…her family…her mother, father, and five-year-old sister…_died_ four years ago and they were hit in their black GMC Topkick by another black GMC Topkick," Sam said quietly, noticing Leanna being dragged back by Mikaela who was now shooting death glares at Sam. Ironhide was indeed shocked by this information, but kept silent and let go of his small anger at the other tanned female, who was now on the verge of a total meltdown and saw the fear in her eyes. He stealthily opened his back right door without a sound and nudged it against Sam's hand, Sam getting the hint, and made like he just opened the door and held it wide open for Mikaela to usher in Leanna. She made terrified sounds and she put her feet up and around the frame of the truck's door to make an emphasis on how she didn't want to be squeezed into the truck. It reminded her of the day long ago when she was fighting with her sister to get into the back seat of the truck. Her eyes closed in emotional pain and she withdrew her legs and was promptly shoved into the back seat.

"Ouch," she muttered in a daze, landing on her face in an awkward position with her butt up in the air. Getting up, she looked around, terrified, so many memories flooded back to her and she began crying silently as she touched the leather of the left seat in the back, the same place where her sister's car seat would have been.

"Leanna…you okay?" asked Mikaela, who got in through the passenger's seat, patting the dashboard secretly to motion to Ironhide to have patience and mercy if her friend began lashing out again. Nodding her head slowly, she buckled in, but in the middle and she laid down with tears still rolling down her cheeks, rubbing the leather seat of the left back seat softly and sadly. Ironhide, though, had a different feeling and felt chills run down his frame, but resisted the urge to shudder. Instead he turned on his console which was installed into the dashboard in front of the passenger's side.

\This human…her face is still leaking lubricants…on my leather…\ Ironhide typed, Mikaela and Sam reading every word but again motioning for patience. Leanna got up and wiped away the tears, still absentmindedly stroking the leather seat. Her friends gazed at her with worried looks and leaned in to see if she had anything to say.

"I'm…glad you did this…I guess I really needed to face my demons…" commented Leanna, now slightly emotionless, "Let's go to the mall now…"

\Your friend is continuing to stroke the leather…make her stop...\ Ironhide made a small beeping noise, which brought Mikaela to read the message and Sam to keep looking at Leanna reassuringly. Everyone suddenly felt the frame of the truck shake as Ironhide shuddered, not taking the stroking anymore and causing Leanna to stop in surprise and panic. She looked ready to jump out but Mikaela made up an excuse of how the wind was so weird today. Nodding, she pulled her legs to her chest and turned on her side in the back seat, sighing sadly into the leather of the back seat.

'This human is troublesome and a pest…yet I understand her pain and sorrow,' thought Ironhide as Sam started him up and drove off. Leanna kept silent with Mikaela offering words of comfort and looking back at Leanna. Sam kept his eyes on the rearview mirror to keep a close eye on Leanna, knowing Ironhide could handle the driving himself. Ironhide drove to the mall, using his navigation to find the mall.

"Alright, we're here…" Sam said, putting his hands back on the wheel, pulling into the parking lot of the Mission City Mall. He gave a small wince as he saw the renovation being done on the downtown part of the mall, remembering the battle that wasn't too long ago that had destroyed that part of the mall. Ironhide remembered this as well and gave an apologetic beep, startling Leanna from her thoughts.

"Okay, let's go, I think that they have the new 2009 Camero Chevrolet Camero!" squealed Leanna, remembering the reason why she got in the truck in the first place. Leanna's favorite model was the 2009 Chevrolet Camero; she said that if she ever had enough money to buy a really good car, it'd be a 2009 Chevrolet Camero. Sam chuckled while Mikaela smiled; she knew her friend enjoyed the car, Sam knowing that he owned one already…okay, friends with one, same dif.

"C'mon! I bet that if we get there in time, we'll be able to test drive it, jumping out, unfortunately forgetting she still had the seat belt on and she was slammed up against the frame. Laughing nervously, Leanna reached in and took off the seat belt, running like crazy into the mall. Sam and Mikaela replied a sorry to Ironhide who just grumbled and settled in for a power-down. With that, Ironhide went to "sleep" and the couple went into the car dealer's to see their friend practically worshipping the car.

"OhmygodohmygodohmygodOHMYGOD! I sooo want this car!" cried out an ecstatic Leanna, peering at the car with bright black eyes behind the velvet boundary line.

"And yet…sooo not going to happen," Sam said with furrowed eyebrows and squinted at the fine print of the sign, reading the exorbitant fee. Leanna frowned at this and just kept staring at the car with longing until a huge quake rocked the entire building.

"Oh my effing god, what the hell was that?" asked Leanna, who had fallen to the ground and stared at the shaking lights above her head with fear.

"I think we better go…" Mikaela grunted, pulling her up and all three friends ran outside with the other panicked people. There, Sam and Mikaela looked at was making a commotion and their eyes widened. Barricade was there terrorizing the people in the mall, destruction and doom widening their eyes.

"Damn it! Barricade, what the hell is he doing here? I thought he was dead!" Sam shouted in anger, dashing off to the parking lot to get Ironhide, leaving Leanna and Mikaela to deal with the problem until then.

"Some boyfriend…" Leanna remarked, Mikaela only keeping silent, knowing that he was only running to get Ironhide, who was still in power-down mode and oblivious to anything that was happening currently. Now, Barricade was making his way down to their side of the mall when he saw the familiar female who helped the hero of Earth.

"You…" he said in an unearthly and grave voice, "YOU!" He ran towards her, his steps making giant quakes that kept Mikaela and Leanna still, who were trying their best just to keep standing. Leanna and Mikaela screamed, Leanna taking initiative when she realized the giant mech was after her friend. She pushed Mikaela out of the way when Barricade just turned into a car and was about to run her over.

"Do not stand in my way human!" he yelled, skidding and then driving at breakneck speed at Leanna, who was now running and drawing the car away from her friend. Leanna twisted, turned, but couldn't shake the dangerous car off her trail, ending up in an alley of the mall. Barricade turned into a giant bot again and laughed maniacally.

"There is no escape, you are doomed," Barricade stated, advancing on her, Leanna backing up into the wall and looking for a way out.

'Shit, what am I going to do now?!?' she thought frantically, then ran towards one side of the wall of the narrow alley and used it to jump off and land on her hands atop the tall wall. Barricade hadn't expected this and stopped a little, but then began running towards her again, knowing that she'd escape. She then catapulted off of the wall and landed with bent knees on the ground on the other side of the wall, running as fast as she could. Barricade just broke through the poorly-built brick wall and transformed into a police car to chase after her. Just then, Leanna was running into the parking lot and found Sam…talking to his truck and hitting it.

'Oh, what the fuck is he doing?!?' she screamed in her mind, in fact saying it out loud, "Oh, what the fuck are you doing you idiot! You just left your girlfriend and me to get scrapped by that giant piece of mechanical hardware!" Sam turned around nervously with wide eyes and just kept yelling at his truck and hitting it.

"Sam, that is a truck, it's not a fricking vending machine or some magical metal that will stop the monster! Goddamn it, get your ass in their and get Mikaela out!" she roared, hitting her fist atop the lid of the hood.

"Now that hurt…" said a disgruntled Ironhide in annoyance, changing suddenly and Leanna stepping back with a terrified gasp. She stared at the metal man, now stretching and looking at Sam.

"I was in the middle of my power-down, what has happened?" asked Ironhide, gruffly.

"What the hell, are you serious, he's a monster, too?!?" shouted Leanna, both Ironhide and Sam ignoring Leanna for the time being.

"It's Barricade! He's here, and-" Sam stopped as Barricade came into view, still chasing Leanna.

"Oh shit not him again!" Leanna groaned in annoyance and instead of running away, she just sprinted towards the car. There was no way she was going to lose to hunk of metal, no way, no how. And she didn't take those martial arts for nothing.

"Lea! No!" cried out Sam, Ironhide now running forward, cursing under his breath and reaching for the girl before she was smashed by Barricade. Instead, she jumped and just before impact, she grabbed the sirens on top of the car and hung on for dear life as she was whipped around like a rag doll, trying to do whatever damage she could do by kicking and punching with her above-average strength…for a girl that is. Barricade transformed, Leanna now ending up on his head, where the sirens were now.

"Pathetic human, I don't think you understand your doom yet," Barricade chuckled darkly, grabbing her off his head and squeezing her, Mikaela screaming as she ran inside the parking lot.

"Agh! Get…off of me you stupid piece of junk!" she screamed, taking a sharp intake of breath as he squeezed harder, pain clouding her thoughts. Laughing again, Barricade just kept squeezing her until Ironhide finally reached them, smashing Barricade's face and making her drop her. Ironhide picked her up a bit roughly and put her down next to Sam and Mikaela, who tended to her.

"Gah," Barricade screeched as Ironhide aimed a shot at his head and scored a near hit, the blast grazing the right side of his head, but taking out the use of one eye for the moment, "This isn't over, Autoscum!" He transformed and took off, Ironhide aiming random shots at him and was about to pursue until Sam yelled.

"Ironhide! Don't, we need to get Lea to the hospital!" Sam shouted, Mikaela nodding in agreement as she lifted up Leanna's shirt to spot huge bruises and a cracked rib or two.

"Maybe we can just take her to see Ratchet, that way we can alert Optimus and the others of Barricade and we can get Leanna some medical attention," Mikaela offered as a compromise as the two males began arguing on what to do. Nodding reluctantly, Ironhide then transformed back into his truck form and Sam picked up Leanna and placed her in the back seat, Leanna partially conscious. Ironhide wrapped the middle seat belt across her middle and it attached to the buckle. The two other humans took their seat in the front and Ironhide drove while Mikaela climbed in the back and buckled in, stroking Leanna's hair and whispering how it was going to be alright.

"Hey, Mikaela…" Leanna said weakly, coughing and holding her stomach in a fetal position.

"Yeah?" replied Mikaela, who took another peek at her friend's bruises, which were now forming large black and green blotches on the skin of her tight stomach.

"Weekends are a bitch…" she moaned, blacking out and recalling only the feel of the leather on her face and her friends hands running through her hair and across her stomach.

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chiv-id: Okay, so we can tell who she's gonna get with first!

Leanna and Ironhide: You gotta be joking me...

chiv-id: Nope! Okay, see ya around! Rate and review! (Do we rate...don't know...)


	3. Meeting the Autobots

chiv-id: I'm on a roll! Yahoo!!! (actually high off of sugar rush, drank some soda mixed with candy with her friends who are also high on sugar in spirit of Halloween)

Leanna: I can't believe this, but:

Disclaimer: chivalry-is-dead doesn't own Transformers (understandable), but does own me (unbelievable)

Ironhide: ...Tell me about it...

chiv-id: ON WITH STORY!!! (begins drinking more and runs around the house at supersonic speed)

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What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 2: Meeting the Autobots

"…she's doing fine…just needs…what…you thinking...could have…so many lives…danger…" Leanna awoke to hear arguing in giant booming voices, first thing seeing Mikaela looking up at something while holding Leanna's hands.

"Ugh…Mikaela, what happened?" Leanna moaned, the arguing stopped and Mikaela looked back down with relief.

"Oh my god, I thought you died!" Mikaela cried, hugging her and earning a pat on the back and a wince from Leanna, "Sorry."

"'S alright…last thing I remember was being in that…talking truck monster dude…did someone toast me?" Leanna asked, wondering if someone spiked the water she drank at the car dealer's. Mikaela just laughed, Sam appearing at her side and asking Leanna how she was doing.

"I'd be better if I could sit up…" Leanna remarked, looking down and seeing that she had a brace on which was making it difficult for her to move her body. Propping Leanna up, Mikaela and Sam tried to explain.

"Well…no you weren't drugged first of all, it was all real. Second, the guy you're talking about, the "talking truck monster" is actually a friend, so I think you should kind of apologize…" Sam explained, pointing to Ironhide who just pushed exhaust out in a kind of snort.

"Um…sorry, about that, but I'm still confused as hell…and why do I see more of them?" asked Leanna, seeing the other Autobots surrounding the medical table which Ratchet had set up especially for her.

"Well, they're aliens from another planet and these guys are the good guys. This is Ratchet, the guy who fixed you up," she pointed to Ratchet, a yellow bot with sirens waving politely, "Ironhide, you know, Bumblebee is over there, and then Optimus is around but just not here right now." Leanna was trying to take in the information as she looked at the other yellow robot, waving a giant hand to say hello. Then she looked at the one robot who was on the ground on the far side of the aircraft hanger, on a mat in two pieces.

"Who's over there?" asked Leanna, pointing over to the broken mech.

"Well," Mikaela sighed, and came out with it, "That was Jazz…he was killed in battle with Megatron and the Decepticons. Remember the big robot battle that happened in Mission City a week or two ago?"

"Yeah?" responded Leanna, stretching a little.

"Well, Jazz got ripped apart in two by Megatron in that battle…we're mourning his death and we're going to give him a funeral in a few days or so," Mikaela said quietly, the other bots shifting around uncomfortably and their expressions quite sad.

"Oh…sorry," Leanna apologized, now an uncomfortable silence spreading through out the sick bay, "I didn't mean to bring that up…"

"It's alright," called a new voice, everyone looking towards the doors that had opened in the sick bay, "Jazz was a good soldier and a good friend." Optimus Prime stepped through the doors, the tallest of the group of bots.

"My name is Optimus Prime, and your name I assume is Leanna Keyes, is it not?" asked Optimus Prime, approaching the table which gave Leanna good eyeful of his flame decals, "Are you feeling better? Most would not survive an attack from a Decepticon such as Barricade. And I heard you tried to fight back, not the most wisest of choices if I may add."

"Tch, I _am_ stronger than I look. I ain't gonna let some car threaten my friends and let them get away with it," Leanna proclaimed, jumping off the table and wincing a bit at the pain but grudged through it, then noticed the other bots in the room, "Well, no offense to you guys." She then got a better look at what she was wearing, noticing that the brace was the only thing she was wearing other than her sweat pants, the brace covering her supple and somewhat large breasts and her ribs. She glared up at Sam who began laughing nervously.

"Please tell me it was Mikaela who did this, and not you and your alien friends? I can _tell_ they're guys, _Sam_, you better tell me who stripped me before I go bussin' up someone's head in here!" she yelled, marching straight up and looking him straight in the eye.

"Err...well, how else was Ratchet supposed to assess you?" Sam ended in a high-pitched squeak, now seeing death written in Leanna's eyes. Roaring she punched Sam and he ended up on the floor, terrified still and held his hands up.

"But-but-but Mikaela did the stripping, I mean she stripped you, I mean-" Sam stuttered and eventually a look of resignation came across her face and she put her hand in her face. Leanna just smiled a little behind her hand and began laughing a little.

"Dude, you are too funny," Leanna chuckled, and turned towards the robots, who watched this with mild amusement, "So, only Ratchet checked on me, right? No one else was in the room except for him and Mikaela, right?"

"That is right…except for Ironhide, he stayed because one of his cannons had gotten damaged," Ratchet replied, everyone began filing out of the room except for Ironhide, who defiantly stayed. Ratchet gave him a warning eye, but just sat down at his large widescreen super computer and began filing all the discoveries he had made while assessing Leanna's injured body.

"Well, I guess that's not too bad, after all, it was only two guys, and they were aliens who don't know anything about the human body to be ashamed about it…so I'll let you off the hook, Sam. Just don't do that again without my permission, I would've rather gone to the hospital, at least there are female nurses, not huge guy robots…" Leanna sighed, and sat back down on the table, trying to get her mind wrapped around all the information she had just received and eyed the yellow medic that sat at the super computer, catching a few certain words which made her blush a bit.

"I think I should be getting home now," Leanna said softly, looking around and found the pile of white and grey clothes next to the table and put them on, and walked towards the hangar doors which led to the outside.

"I do not think that it would be a good idea to go in your condition," Ratchet calmly stated and as if on cue, a shot of blinding pain ran through her side as she was reaching for the doors. She let out a yell and crumpled to the ground, Mikaela and Sam rushing to her side in a panic. Luckily, Ironhide was leaning against the wall next to the hangar doors and caught her before she hit her head. She had opened the doors a little and the moonlight of the night fell upon her and his metal hand, gleaming and casting reflections of moonlight on her body. Leanna was a real beauty, to be honest, and she didn't enjoy being called so, too modest about her appearance and didn't want people fretting over her. And Ironhide himself admitted that for a human, she had a glowing beauty, even more so than Mikaela.

"Hmph, humans are not the best at decisions, especially this femm," Ironhide snorted, handing Leanna over to the two others. Leanna, though in pain, was able to sneer back and lash out with a foot, managing to glance his fore finger.

"Stupid human femm," Ironhide muttered, turning and exiting the hanger, with a very temperamental disposition glaring at his back.

"What did he just call me?" Leanna hissed, her eyes narrowed.

"A femm. It's what are females were called on our home planet Cybertron," Ratchet responded, looking away from the computer and walking over to pick up Leanna. After, he placed her on the highest part of his desk which was connected to the huge monitor. She looked down and saw that if she tried to climb down, she'd probably die or get seriously injured even more. She frowned and realized his plan, Ratchet wanted her to stay put and he wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

Sighing, Leanna decided to ask a question, "So…why do you say _were_ instead of _are_? You guys still have female robots were you come from right?" To this, Ratchet shook his head doubtfully.

"It is unknown if anymore bots survived, even more so females. Most of our race is consisted of males, we are peaceful, but we are also based on our strength as you can see by our metal exteriors. Females were pretty rare, even when Cybertron existed," Ratchet replied, "So, if any femms made it out alive…it would be a miracle. When our planet, Cybertron, was destroyed, there were few who left the planet, including the Autobots and the Decepticons. Ironhide's spark-mate-to-be, Chromia, died there, we know because we saw her body amongst the wreck of our planet when we came back to survey the destruction."

"I'm…sorry…I guess I should be more nice around him, huh? After all, he lost his girlfriend…" Leanna said softly, not noticing that her two friends were sneaking out of the hangar and piling into Bumblebee to get taken home.

"Well, I suggest you be nice in the morning, I believe that sleep is essential after today," Ratchet chuckled at Leanna's sudden change of heart. She smiled and laid down on the desk, shuddering as she realized it was cold metal. Ratchet seemed to notice this and grabbed her up and placed him on his chest, near his spark. She was a little surprised by this motherly gesture, but gladly took it and snuggled up on his chest. He leaned back so that she wouldn't fall off, but kept typing in that somewhat awkward position. This way, she wouldn't try to move around and she wouldn't have to sleep on the cold metal desk.

"Okay, I'll try to be a little nicer," yawned Leanna, stroking the metal around the warm spark making Ratchet shudder a little in surprise, "Good night Ratchet, and thanks for taking care of me." With that, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

"Good night, Leanna," he replied softly, stroking her back with his forefinger.

* * *

chiv-id: This one was shorter, I have to admit, but I added Ratchet and Leanna fluff! FLUFFY GOODNESS!!!!

Ratchet: I must admit, this was a very heart-warming chapter, but I suggest that we calm her down. Her heart rate is erratic and off the charts (scanning chiv-id).

Ironhide: From your statement, I assume you have not tried yourself?-Holy Primus!!! (chiv-id is jumping everywhere and just jumped on Ironhide's head) Get off! (starts shooting her with cannons)

Ratchet: Easy Ironhide, we want her to continue the series, do we not?

Ironhide: (grumbling) You just want her to write more RatchetXLeanna stuff...

Ratchet: (flustered, mutters) Shove it up your afterburner Ironhide.

Leanna: Shove it up where?

chiv-id: I AM GETTING SPLITTING HEAD ACHE FROM NEIGHBORS ACROSS STREET! THEY WON'T STOP SCREAMING! (screams of children ringing in her head as well as the others, but they're wearing ear plugs) Can I borrow ear plugs?

Leanna: Get your own! Anyway, this close to Halloween chapter was brought to you by the irritating screams of children, if you don't have a splitting headache, you're a moron!

Ironhide: ...This is what you humans call, humor or sarcasm...is it not?

Leanna: Yeah, you're in the general area.

Ironhide: ...I like it.

chiv-id: (staring wide-eyed) Okay! Enough of that now! Good bye to all! (chases Ironhide with candy-induced soda, threatening to spill it on him) Reviews!!!


	4. Working at the Car Wash

chiv-id: Hello again! Okay, I know that I've been updating really quickly, but I'm still excited on this! I also have to explain a few things: okay, to start off, the military loaned an abandoned warehouses facility to the Autobots that serves as their base. (This was set up by Captain Lennox himself) And this place is pretty huge...anyway, Ironhide, would you like to do the honors?

Ironhide: (snorts) Stupid human femm:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna (shoots a few death glares now and then at chiv-id)

chiv-id: (sweatdrops) Well then...um...on with the chapter!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 3: Working at the Car Wash

"Hey, medic, wake up," said a gruff weapons specialist, poking the yellow bot's head with his cannon. He looked at the yellow medic who had taken a power-down at the desk, his feet up on the desk crossed with a pleased-looking (no, not _that _kind of pleased you sick perverts, you) female human on his chest near his spark. Likewise, Ratchet had his finger lightly placed on his patient's back, a small blue wave passing from his finger to his patient every so often, a subconscious scan that helped him monitor the health of the young girl on his chest.

"Hm…what is it?" asked the drowsy bot, his optics coming back glowing a dim blue to indicate that he was about to come on-line, "Oh, Ironhide, I see you've come to see Leanna…"

"Hmph, I didn't come to see her, I came to see if…if my guns were alright, I got entangled with Barricade, if you do not recall with that small thing you call a processor," Ironhide responded in defense, holding up his cannon, which was completely spotless and looked good as new.

"Mmm…" said a sleepy Leanna, waking a little to the sound of voices, but eventually snuggling closer to the medic's spark and went on sleeping.

"I see you have become more _acquainted_ with your…_patient_…" Ironhide retaliated, a frown crossing his face, his optics zooming in a little on the small girl on his chest.

"Yes, and she's also helping me with my research," Ratchet commented, looking toward the monitor which still held the information he had typed up from the night before, "Due to her injuries, I've compiled new data on the human body and on the female side, nonetheless! Usually it is Sam who gets into these accidents and often injures himself, giving me much data on the male side, but Mikaela is much more level-headed. It is rare that she ever gets wounded or hurt, so this human girl is much like, as they say, a blessing from above." Leanna was now beginning to awaken due to Ratchet's rant on his "discoveries", yawning and looking up at Ratchet with her head up.

"Morning," she said with a smile and put her head back down in a daze, not noticing the black Autobot next to her living bed, stroking the metal absentmindedly near the medic's spark. Again, Ratchet shuddered a little but smiled knowing it was good-natured. Again, a frown crossed Ironhide's face, unnoticed to the medic or the girl.

"And a good morning to you, too, Miss Keyes, I see you've had a well-deserved rest," Ratchet responded back, nudging her with his finger, trying to keep her up.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Leanna muttered, getting up from her comfortable position and stretching, showing the brace under her clothes, "Sorry I used you for a bed." She smiled sheepishly and stretched again, only to have pain shooting through her right side again, making her yelp and grab her side while falling back on the bot's chest. Ratchet quickly righted her and scanned, noticing that her cracked ribs were inflaming the muscles around her ribs which gave way to the green and now slightly red bruises under the brace.

"I would advise you not to move around much, it will cause you only more pain and soreness," Ratchet advised, his thumb lightly rubbing the material on the right side of her ribs to emphasis how serious he was.

"Alright, whatever you say, you're the man…er…bot…er…guy," she ended firmly, a little embarrassed at her mix-up. At this, Ratchet chuckled and put her on the ground, to which she noticed a set of black metallic feet.

"Oh, Ironhide, 'ts up?" greeted Leanna, remembering her promise to be more benevolent to the mate-less alien. Ironhide just looked at her suspiciously with his icy blue optics.

"Yesterday, you were rude and ungrateful…now, you are as happy as Sam is when Mikaela goes to the beach with him. What has transpired here?" questioned the suspicious black bot, looking to Ratchet for an explanation.

"Oh nothing…well, am I ready to go home or not, doc? If this wasn't summer, I'd be dead right now because my uncle would find out that I hadn't come to school and come to kill me," Leanna joked, looking up at the medic.

"I believe that you should stay here, but you may return to gather your belongings from your home. I believe that those ribs should be monitored for the time being until I say they're okay," Ratchet replies firmly, "And if you should need to go back to your home for your belongings, I am giving the responsibility of looking after you to Ironhide."

"Highly unlikely," the older bot snorted, making a sputtering noise from his exhaust, "Are you sure you have not given her something to make her this happy?" Ironhide eyed her and her bubbly attitude, Ratchet chuckling, remembering the promise as well.

"No, she's just happy to see you I must imagine, after all, it was you who saved her," to which Ironhide snorted again, but Leanna smiled even more brightly and sweetly.

"Please, I just need to get some clothes and some other stuff and I'll…I'll give you a wash if you drive me to my house and back, please! After all, if I have to stay here, I might as well grab some clothes for the time I'm here. Please!" Leanna looked at Ironhide with puppy-eyes and held her hands together in a pleading gesture. Ironhide snorted again, but consented. Leanna then promptly glomped his leg to which he tried to shake her off, but did it so with care. She unlatched herself and grinned, winking at Ratchet unbeknownst to Ironhide.

"For the love of Primus, I'd like to keep whatever that was to a minimum," a startled, but slightly pleased Ironhide, happy for the sudden gratitude. He changed into his GMC Topkick form and opened his door on the driver's side. She smiled and climbed in, but let Ironhide drive and she again winked secretly to Ratchet to signal that she was upholding her promise. Then they pulled out of the abandoned hangar and proceeded to go to her house, Ironhide using his navigation again to find her house while she snoozed a bit. Ironhide couldn't help but give a deep rumbling purr as she kept rubbing the leather in her seat, a sort of weird habit of hers that she's professed.

"Hey, femm, we're here," remarked Ironhide, half grumbling and half purring. She rubbed her eyes and nodded, getting up and out of the truck who was still somewhat in a daze and sat back on his shocks in content. Leanna searched through her things and found clothes that she wanted to bring along, and brought enough for a week. She really hoped it only took a week, at least.

"Alright, I have my stuff, including my hygiene products and whatever. I'm ready to go…Ironhide?" she poked his door which snapped him out of his reverie.

"Okay, okay," he replied roughly, his daze gone and became more alert, "Just…stop doing that thing you're doing…"

"You mean…the weird stroking thing I do whenever I sleep? Usually I have a pillow and I dream about my sister and being with her and stuff…and I always end the dream with stroking her head…sorry, I got so used to it, I usually just do it unconsciously most of the time. Sorry if I bothered you or anything," Leanna responded.

'God, I don't even know why I told him that, now it's going to be awkward…' Leanna reprimanded herself harshly in her mind, exactly predicting the silence throughout the whole trip. But Ironhide wasn't thinking that she was weird or anything, just that she dreamed about her loved ones, a somewhat similar feature that they both shared. He too dreamed of his life that could have been with Chromia, remembering the Southern Belle accent she used when he told her of the Earth's language to communicate in English. Ironhide remembered the sweet Chromia and put it in the back of his processor and proceeded to keep his mind focused on the road and the eventual defeat of the rest of the Decepticons who he swore to stamp out. Ironhide pulled into the lot of abandoned warehouses and Leanna got out.

"Thanks, 'Hide, I guess I owe you o-…wait! I remember now! Since you did this for me, I was supposed to give you a wash!" Leanna exclaimed, Ironhide transforming back into his bipedal form and remembered too that she had promised it, but had thought that she would forget…at least hoped that she would forget…

"I can clean myself, there is no-" Ironhide stopped as he saw Leanna wipe a finger across his leg panel and held it above her head for him to look. It was a grimy black, the same as his armor.

"I guess you think you can get away with not looking all dirty just because you have black armor? Don't think so, pal!" she yelled, hands on her hips with a smile on her face, "Never knew you didn't like baths that much Ironhide! Well, too bad because I'm going to make you face your worst fears!" Ironhide would have blanched if he could and instead just crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared down defiantly down at his human companion.

"And how would you make me take this 'bath' of which you speak, puny Femm?" dared Ironhide, smirking at Leanna's stumped and insulted expression.

"Well, I don't know…but you really do need a wash, just by this smear I can tell it's been a while and it's really not very appealing," Leanna remarked, crossing her own arms and pouting as she realized that she couldn't really force him.

"I have to agree with Miss Keyes, your smell is absolutely appalling," Ratchet chuckled, causing Ironhide to swivel about and glare at his comrade, "You'd do well with a new wash. What were you suggesting, Miss Keyes?"

"One, Miss Keyes is a little too formal, call me Lea or Leanna, but I like Lea. Second, I was thinking of a car wash. You've heard of one of those, right?" asked Leanna, seeing the confused expressions on her alien friends. It took a moment for them to search the web for the word car wash looked back at her own confused faces.

"Yes, I believe a car wash would be fine for this bot, shall I retrieve the water and the soap?" Ratchet had to laugh at the scowl that Ironhide flashed his way, "How about this, if you don't want a bath, I'll be glad to take your place. I myself believe that I have gained a considerable amount of dirt and am in need of a good wash as well."

"Well, I'd love for you to get the water, but I have the soap myself," Leanna told them, not hearing a word of the whispered latter of Ratchet's deal. Ironhide looked at Ratchet a bit and then contemplated, sighing a little and then agreeing, transforming back into his Topkick. Smiling in delight that she could do something to help Ironhide, she went to her bag to grab the soap and a little something extra that she thought would make it a little worthwhile. Ratchet himself had to laugh a little and retrieved the bin of water and saw that Leanna had changed from her sweat suit to something…a little more revealing.

"Alright, I just changed because I feel that it would be really weird if I do a car wash in a sweat suit," answered Leanna, knowing Ratchet's question from his face. She had a bikini top on, a dark chocolate brown that matched her skin tone and short jeans that went to the middle of her thighs. She was drop-dead gorgeous, but the two other Autobots didn't really mind…well at least Ratchet didn't.

"I am going to have human sweat on me…" Ironhide grumbled, seeing how much exposed skin there was.

"Oh stop complaining, it's not even hot out," Leanna scolded Ironhide as she grabbed the bin and put the soap in, picking up her sponge, "Now…let's see, I guess we should start on your hood, that's probably the worst…"

"Hey!" yelled back an insulted Ironhide, to which Leanna and Ratchet just looked back and laughed, "Stupid human femme…shut up, Ratchet, before I shove a titanium cannon up your after burner." Ratchet just kept chuckling to himself, knowing he wouldn't hurt him. Leanna brought the sponge over and began washing, and though he didn't want to at first, Ironhide felt that it was rather soothing and he felt a little brighter at the prospect of feeling clean again.

"Ironhide…did you leave your engine running?" Leanna asked with a raised eyebrow, her hand vibrating slightly on the now soapy and clean hood. Ratchet himself looked at Ironhide as he awaited his explanation, but wearing a big grin on his face knowing that the old bot was in fact purring.

"Yes…because if I see you start to put your filthy human sweat I'll drive away…" Ironhide muttered, realizing that he had purred without intention and ceased.

"You're too weird Ironhide," Leanna laughed, now washing the splattered-windshield, covered in mud and god knows what, "Maybe its your windshield, man. Seriously, you really haven't given yourself a good cleaning in a while…" Ironhide snorted again, not taking the insult and revving forward away from Leanna.

"He-hey! Wait, you're not done! Stop! Jesus Christ!" Leanna cursed, throwing down the soap and the sponge after trying to chase Ironhide who just kept driving away whenever she got too near, "Fine, clean yourself! After trying to be nice, you know, I thought that you'd be at least a little happier you emo truck!" With that, Leanna stomped away with Ratchet following her to calm down, Ironhide stopping his shenanigans and reversed to face her. Ironhide rethought his decision to tease Leanna.

'Hmm…she's got some temper,' Ironhide thought, slowly driving up to where Leanna and Ratchet were talking.

"No! I don't care, I try to be nice because I know he saved me and then he acts all emo on me! No, I don't think so! Ratchet, you can wash him if you like," Leanna snapped, turning on her foot and again stomping away to the hangar. Ratchet shook his head and then slapped a metal hand into his forehead as he saw Ironhide zoom forward to chase after Leanna. Ironhide quickly slid in front of Leanna as she was approaching the hangar doors.

"Oh hell no, don't start with me you emo truck!" Leanna said, speaking more like her father's side, "I ain't in the mood! No, I ain't gonna wash you! Hell no! Don't you be pushing me now!" Ironhide began forcefully driving into her, pushing her back to the bin of water and the soap and Ratchet who again was shaking his head as he saw his old friend's antics. Ironhide managed to push Leanna over to the bin and then slid right next to her, waiting for the wash and expected her to go through with it.

"Tch, I'm not dealing with this shit anymore, Ironhide. As I said before, wash yourself," Leanna replied back angrily, but as she tried to move around the truck, Ironhide caught her between his front and rear doors, trapping her with the bin connecting to the doors. Leanna glared angrily, but her gaze softened as he began to speak through his radio.

"I…I am sorry, Leanna…" Ironhide mumbled, "Please, continue, I will no longer cause trouble for you any further, just please…I am sorry…" Ratchet was surprised by his friend's sudden softness, knowing that he would normally just brush off the angry remarks and such and if given would indeed wash himself. Ratchet then thought of a theory and just smiled.

'So…opening up your heart again, Ironhide, my old friend? Just don't hurt Leanna…' thought Ratchet as he walked away and left the two alone.

"…Fine, you emo truck…just don't…don't do it again alright? If you make me chase you, you'll definitely have 'filthy human sweat' on you," Leanna joked softly, she herself was a bit surprised by the veteran truck's demeanor, "Well, I'm going to get started again, are you going to let me go?" Ironhide swung his rear door close to let her through, then closed his front door after she got out. Leanna picked up her sponge and proceeded to wash every nook and cranny she could get to. She considered going underneath, but felt that it would be awkward if she did. Finally, she finished up and pulled out a bottle of leather finisher (not really sure if that's what it's called, but its something that makes leather look and feel better…I think…not sure…).

"And that is…" Ironhide said suspiciously through his radio as she opened his driver's side door. Leanna just smiled and put some of the oily substance on the cloth she had handy and went at it. As soon as she rubbed the leather, Ironhide shuddered and she giggled a little.

"I'm guessing that you're pretty ticklish," Leanna giggled as she kept polishing the leather interior, "Sorry, but I promised to give you a wash, and when I give a car a wash, I do the inside, too." Of course, Ironhide didn't complain and thanked Primus that she hadn't really realized that it actually was a pretty pleasant feeling. He shuddered again as she did the leather divider, almost groaning. He kept himself in check though and just enjoyed the feeling of the leather polisher and the cloth. He wasn't just about to show that he actually liked the female human…wait did he just say liked the female human?

'I…I didn't think that! I never thought it!' Ironhide tried to mentally shake away the thoughts of possibly liking the female human, but it was no use. He had hopelessly become fond of the human femm (thought I was going to say love didn't ya, but nope). She then dried him off and wiped her forehead, standing back and looking at her work. Ironhide was spotless and absolutely dazzling, transforming into his bot form and looking at himself pleased.

"You're welcome," Leanna replied to the soon coming thank-you out of Ironhide, "Just tell me when you need another car wash and I'll be happy to do it for you, 'kay?" Ironhide nodded a bit and then turned to go to the hangar which left Leanna with the cleaning up. She just smiled and put everything away and lazily dumped the water on the ground where it would evaporate. Leanna then walked over to the hangar and overheard a little conversation that was going on.

"Hey, Ironhide, I see Leanna did a job well-done," complimented Ratchet, looking over Ironhide and practically shielding himself from the glare off of Ironhide's shining exterior.

"Yes, I have never seen you as clean as you are now Ironhide," Optimus commented before going back to work on searching for Barricade on his scanners. Bumblebee could talk, but enjoyed using his radio more and played a song that had everyone reeling: "I'm Too Sexy".

"_I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt,_" the song played out in humor from Bumblebee's radio and everyone laughed while telling him to turn it off. Then Leanna walked in smiling and laughing a little, too.

"Okay, who played the 'sexy' song?" giggled Leanna, leaning against Ironhide's polished leg. Sam seemed to stare at Leanna and Mikaela whapped him on the head while coming over to congratulate Leanna.

"I've never seen Ironhide look so clean!" Mikaela said to Leanna with a smile, "Or you using the bathing suit I gave to you two years ago! Is there someone you want to impress or something? Usually you just wear a tank top and jeans."

"No…I-I wasn't trying to impress anyone Mikaela! I just figured that…that…er…okay, I got nothing..." Leanna tried to explain, but ended up failing, "I just felt like wearing it, okay?" Mikaela smiled a small smile and hugged her.

"I'm glad you're finally showing off your curves! You've even got Sam drooling!" Mikaela giggled as she drew back and pointed to Sam who just looked a bit insulted, "While you're in that, I figured that we could go to the beach today! Wanna come?" Leanna looked over at Sam and realized by what Ironhide meant by how happy Sam would be when Mikaela agreed to go the beach with him. Sam had a nervously big grin, fidgeting a little and Leanna knew it was because Mikaela looked hot in her bathing suit. Leanna nodded and waved back to the other Autobots as Mikaela dragged her over to Bumblebee, who was in his Camaro form.

"OH MY GOD! A 2009 Chevrolet Camero!!! I can't believe you didn't tell you had one of those!" Leanna screamed, practically running over and hugging the car, "Will you let me drive?" Leanna made big puppy eyes, but stopped when everyone started laughing at her, including the Autobots.

"What? Is it so weird that I just saw the car of my dreams and want to drive it?" Leanna pouted and then turned at just began running her hand over the form of the car. She admired the yellow paintjob, a good color she thought. The car was pretty sweet, spotless, and when she went over to lift up the hood, she was giddy as she saw the massive horsepower generator.

"Sam, please can you let me drive?!?" Leanna pleaded, running up to Sam who was still laughing.

"Well, why don't you ask Bumblebee?" Sam said, a big grin and holding in his laughter. At this, Leanna looked confused at Sam.

"Bumblebee? But-" Leanna stopped as she heard the clunk of gears and turned around to see that the car was actually Bumblebee and was standing proudly in front of her, "Oh…sorry Bee…I'll just…be…bye!" Leanna ran away in embarrassment and remembered how she fondled the car. Bumblebee looked at her a little confused and Sam and Mikaela just laughed as the other Autobots also just stared after Leanna's form.

'Oh my god! He must think that I'm a perv or something! I just fondled a bot!" Leanna thought, totally ashamed and embarrassed and finally stopped and took a breather. She was at the other end of the series of abandoned warehouses. She heard a roar of an engine and saw Bumblebee again in the Camaro form and went up next to her to nudge her leg.

"_I've been looking for a driver who qualifies…_" Bumblebee's radio blared out Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive", meaning that it was okay for her to drive.

"Sorry, Bumblebee, I never stopped to think that it was you…" Leanna said apologetically, but Bumblebee just softly nudged her leg again with his front bumper and played out "Shut Up and Drive" again just to say that he forgave her, but he wanted her to get in. Leanna nodded and opened the driver's side door and sat in, feeling the interior and putting her hands on the wheel and putting her head on the steering wheel and she heard a small purring noise. She sat up in surprise but then realized that it must be Bumblebee and she pet the steering wheel. More purring was issued and she smiled.

'He's like a big kitten…this reminds me of that Totoro movie with the giant cat bus…' Leanna thought randomly and she put Bee in reverse and she found the Autobots still examining the good job on Ironhide, Sam and Mikaela discussing something.

"Hey guys! You wanna go to the beach or what?" called out Leanna, the two humans looking over and getting in. After waving bye, they went to the beach and played in the sun until it set.

* * *

chiv-id: Okay! So, we have the third installment of "What It Means To Be Human"! How was that guys?

Ironhide: (looking himself over) I look good as new!

Leanna: (smiling) Yup! I take pride in my jobs!

Ratchet: In fact, I think we all need a car wash, wouldn't you say so Autobots?

All the Autobots: Sure, most definitely.

Leanna: (sweatdropping) Uh...I'm going to run away now... (runs away with the Autobots asking her to give them a wash)

Ironhide: (steps in front and points cannons) Stop before I shove a whole lot of Energon blasts up your afterburners. (everyone stops and apologize)

Leanna: Thanks! I thought I was going to be mobbed by giant pieces of metal!

chiv-id: Awww...see my plan's going perfectly for you two!

Leanna and Ironhide: ...What plan? (gives death stares and chiv-id chuckles nervously)

chiv-id: Well, er, I guess I better be going! See yals! Reviews, please I need them! (runs away with Leanna and Ironhide trying to get her to spill her plan)


	5. Getting Involved

chiv-id: Hello! Updating so fast is fun! I already have 5 reviews! 5! Whee! (Running around house like crazy because she's so happy)

Leanna: Well, that's kind of disturbing...anyways, on to chapter 4!

Ratchet: Wait:

Disclaimer: chivalry-is-dead doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna

Leanna: Jeez, technical much? Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 4: Getting Involved

"All right, bye guys! See you tomorrow!" yelled Leanna, driving off with Bumblebee. As Leanna drove, she thought over the day's events. First, she had given Ironhide the best cleaning of his life, then she went to the beach with her friends with the car of her dreams, but in fact turns out to be a bot. She sighed quietly and kept her hands on the wheel in an attempt to look like she was driving, but she didn't exactly know how to get back. She let Bumblebee take the wheel. Again, she thought of her day at the beach and sighed. She hadn't been able to do much because of her brace (she had taken it off when she was washing and forgot to put it back on, resulting in some very painful bruising that occurred when she tried to swim). Leanna, as a result, had to stay in the car and watched as her friends played in the sand and the sun. She sometimes tried to sneak out just to perhaps sunbathe but the overprotective car kept his locks shut after the first time she tried to get out.

"Bee, you're way too protective," Leanna commented, Bumblebee actually tightening the seat belt in response, causing Leanna to giggle a little, "Yup, definitely too protective." Finally, they arrived at the Autobots base and everyone seemed to be in a meeting of some sort. Bee opened his door and Leanna got out, Bee instantly transforming and asking what was going on.

"We've been discussing the appearance of Barricade…and Starscream and his recruits," Optimus briefed Bee, whose optics widened a bit at the news, "Leanna, you don't have to get involved in this, so I'm going to have someone escort you home."

"No way! Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bee all have helped me, so I'm going to help them! If this is about that thing that attacked me…that thing I think you call…Barricade? If this is about Barricade, I can handle him! Just give me some guns and I'm on the move!" Leanna retorted, looking up at Optimus with fierce determination. She turned and glared at Ironhide when he chuckled at her little speech.

"I don't think you'd want to get involved…in fact, I'm ordering you not to get involved, Ironhide, escort her to your room and lock her there until this meeting is over," Optimus ordered, Leanna stiffening at the strict tone of his voice as well as Ironhide.

"C'mon! I want to help! Let me help!" Leanna whined, fierce determination still in her eyes, "Just because I'm a human doesn't mean that I can't fight or anything! I know how to handle guns, I know martial arts, I can fight!" Optimus sighed and shook his gigantic metal head in refusal and Leanna frowned. Ironhide took this opportunity to pick her up and she went away protesting.

"Jeez! Just because I'm human and a girl doesn't mean I'm going to screw everything up or something. I can take care of myself," Leanna said more to herself then Ironhide and he in turn looked at her.

"It is not because we think you are going to get in the way, but we believe that you might be putting yourself in danger if you get involved in this war…" Ironhide responded, putting his hand next to his shoulder and he let her climb up onto it. When they reached the huge warehouse that Ironhide called his room, he opened it and Leanna saw how messy it was. It was littered with cannon parts and other miscellaneous objects. Ironhide seemed to give a somewhat sheepish smile and cleared a space for her on the recharge platform, which was luckily warm.

"Stay here," Ironhide commanded, Leanna giving her own snort, "I will unlock the doors later, but for now, stay here." Leanna stared at the larger mech's form as he exited and sighed. She wanted to get involved because she 1) she wanted to get back at the mech that gave her the bruises, and 2) she wanted to payback all the Autobots that had helped her. Leanna sighed again and laid back on the warm recharge pad, which was pretty warm. She wondered why and realized that Ironhide had probably been sleeping here recently. Leanna curled up and went to sleep, knowing she could do nothing while in the locked mech's room. Later, Leanna awoke and then spotted her brace, shining a little with the moonlight. She reached up to the brace and wondered why Ironhide would have her brace, which was placed within her arm's reach. Leanna sighed and realized that she had to take off her bikini to put it on. Taking off her bikini, she was about to put the brace on when the doors to the room opened, squeaking, she covered herself and dived into a pile of junk. Leanna was startled and saw Ironhide who was looking around the room for her. She quickly strapped on the brace, which covered her chest and took her bikini top in her hand.

"Don't you ever knock?" asked Leanna, putting her hands on her hips as she emerged from the pile of cannon parts.

"This _is_ my room," Ironhide retorted and held out his hand for her to climb up on. Consenting, she leapt up on his hand and sat Indian-style, her chin in her hand as she huffed. Ironhide looked at her and sighed a little.

"You shouldn't sulk, it doesn't suit you…" Ironhide whispered softly, Leanna barely hearing it and knowing that she wasn't supposed to hear it, Leanna smiled.

"Alright, then, if you tell me what happened, I won't have a reason to sulk," Leanna replied, turning her body towards the face of the mech and smiling sweetly. Ironhide was a little startled when he heard her and turned his head forward to look in her eyes. Black irises versus icy blue optics. Leanna felt herself blush for some reason and instead turned away and put her chin in head again only letting her hair fall down in front of her face so that he couldn't see her blush. Ironhide himself was a little embarrassed by the situation and turned away quickly, pondering on those deep onyx eyes. They both dropped the subject as they turned into the meeting hangar and everyone set their optics on them.

"Leanna…we have come to a decision," Optimus said hesitantly, Leanna instantly uncrossing her legs and leaning forward on Ironhide's hand on her knees and hands, "We believe that you can indeed help us…"

"Yeah, so what can I help you guys with?" Leanna asked eagerly and smiled.

"The fact that Starscream brought recruits and is meeting up with Barricade is not a good prospect in this war. Barricade will most likely brief what he's learned during his scouting to Starscream. Hopefully, he'll not be telling them of you. What we want you to do is to be partners with Ironhide and take care of the last piece of the Allspark for us, to protect it, let no one have it. We will most likely have our hands full with defending our base and eventually Sam and Mikaela from the Decepticons. We entrust to you the one thing Starscream is hoping to get. With that bit of Allspark, he will be able to perhaps magnify the effects and carry out Megatron's plan," Optimus finished, looking towards Leanna who was a bit slack-jawed at the moment.

"Wait…you're telling me…that I have to baby sit a what?" Leanna asked, totally confused and looked to Ironhide for an explanation.

"The Allspark, the most powerful machine in the universe, it is raw power, and it can change Earth's machines into evil, sentient beings. Due to Sam's sacrifice of the cube by putting it into Megatron's chest, it was reduced down to a small scrap, but it is known that over time it will regenerate. Starscream will be able to take over Earth with that kind of power," Ironhide explained, Leanna understanding now.

"Okay…so I have to baby sit a scrap of an all-powerful cube that the Decepticons want so that they can take over the Earth…" Leanna said, weighing the responsibility of taking care of the Allspark while everyone else was fighting, "Well…if that's all you're letting me do, I have no choice, huh"

"I am glad that you accepted my decision and offer, you may return to your home and Ironhide will be your Earth vehicle for the time being. Here is the Allspark, be careful not to set it off, or it will turn your machines into-" Optimus had been cut off.

"Into mind-eating robots from hell, I got it," Leanna said absentmindedly, taking the piece that was offered, studying it and turning it over in her hands. It didn't seem that powerful by how it looked thought Leanna, just like it was some scrap of metal. Leanna felt herself being lowered to the ground and jumped off of Ironhide's hand when it reached the floor. Grabbing her stuff while Ironhide transformed back into his truck form, Leanna waved bye to everyone and held a thumbs-up to show that she would take good care of it. Ironhide drove away and Leanna stayed up, already have slept in his room and decided that it was a good idea to keep an eye out for that crazy police car. After all, they were going over the speed limit.

"Ironhide, we should slow down, the police might notice and Barricade could be one of them…" Leanna warned, as she jerked a little when they got to a turn and he speedily made his away.

"I believe that it will be safer when you are home, Starscream could be scanning us at this moment," Ironhide told her quietly, but seeing her a bit confused he replied, "Starscream is a jet, he can see us through his night vision." Nodding, Leanna decided to look up instead of in the mirrors, more afraid of a jet dropping bombs then a police car. Finally, after a short 8 minutes to her house, Leanna opened the garage to her house and let Ironhide squeeze in. She didn't have a car, always preferring to run. Luckily, it was a large garage, since her father had a GMC Topkick, he had modified the garage to be pretty big. Leanna, though, thought perhaps he'd like more room and she looked to her back yard. It was surrounded by a brick wall and it was pretty big, almost as large as Ironhide's room, minus the pool. Assuring that no one would see him if he transformed, Leanna open the gate that led to the back yard and he went through it, transforming as soon as he was shielded by the brick wall.

"Alright, well, I guess means good night," Leanna said quietly as Ironhide looked at his surroundings, "Call me if you need anything, my room is the window to the right." She pointed to the house and he saw the window on the right-side of the patio that led to the back yard. Leanna looked at the Allspark for a moment, considering what would happen if it fell into the Decepticons' hands. Then she looked at Ironhide who looked back at her with crystal blue opticals and considered what would happen if her neighbors found out about him. She laughed quietly and again whispered a good night, yawning a little and went back inside. She took a shower and was in a PJ tank top and really short sweat shorts for her PJs. She looked outside and saw Ironhide sitting with his back to the house and staring up at the moon.

'I wonder…I wonder if he thinks about Chromia when he looks at the moon, like how I think about my family when I look at the moon…' Leanna pondered, as she settled in and kept the curtains open, in case Ironhide needed anything, 'Sweet dreams, Ironhide, I hope that you have dreams instead of nightmares…'

* * *

chiv-id: Well, I know, not much of an interesting chapter, but I promise that there's going to be a lot of fluff in the next one! Also, since this is so short, I'm going to upload the other short chapter today as well! (speed types)

Leanna: Gotta hand it to her, she's on a roll...

Ironhide: Yeah...hey, what kind of fluff? (glares at chiv-id suspiciously)

chiv-id: (grins mischieviously) Wouldn't you like to know? Anyways, reviews people! And see ya next time!


	6. Morning, Day, and Night

chiv-id: Told you I'd update on the same day! And again, as I've told you, it's a short chappie!

Leanna and Ironhide: (reading chapter now and blushing) This is...going to be interesting...

chiv-id: Aww you're blushing!...Hey, wait a minute, robots don't blush! How are you doing that?

Ironhide: ...It's that fluffy...

chiv-id: Wow...never knew my fluff could make a robot blush...anyway, I'm letting Megatron do the disclaimer! (drags Megatron in)

Megatron: I'm dead and I don't want to be here!

chiv-id: TOO BAD, IT'S MY SHIT, SO DEAL WITH IT!

Megatron and other people in room (Leanna, Ratchet, and Ironhide): (stare) Yes, ma'am.

Megatron: (grumbles) I better get a part in this:

Disclaimer: chivalry-is-dead does not own Transformers, but she does own Leanna and this made up song she's put in here for all you sick love people. Now out of my way, I'd rather be at the bottom of the ocean than here (takes leave)

chiv-id: (grins maliciously) Don't worry, he's not getting off that easy...anyways, on with the chappie!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 5: "Morning, Day, and Night, What Would I Do, Would I Do Right?"

In the morning, Ironhide stretched his limbs after his stasis (another word for sleep in alien robot terms) and looked to the window on his left, which was the window to the room of his new partner. He looked inside to see the time, noticing the red lights indicated that it was 7:24 AM on a Monday. Then, he looked at Leanna and his breath seemed to leave him for a moment. There she was, tossing and turning, whispering in a slightly strangled voice, 'Kelly'. Beads of sweat were running down her face and her eyes were closed in pain, breath shallow and pained. Ironhide's spark jumped at this and he looked worriedly at Leanna. Scanning his body, she was overheating and her heart beat was erratic allowing with her brain activity levels. She was having nightmares, and Ironhide knew what kind of nightmares she was having.

'She lied…' thought the giant black bot, 'She never dreamed about being with her sister, she had nightmares about her family…' The bot noticed that the window was big enough for one of his fingers and he stuck one through and lightly stroking her back in a comforting manner. Leanna gave a strangled whimper when she first felt his finger, strangely cold because her body was overheated in the dream because she often dreamt of the fire that had consumed her sister alive. Eventually, though, she calmed down a bit and her breathing became more easy and she stopped tossing and turning.

"Kelly…" Leanna whimpered softly, now tears dripping, "Please…I'm sorry, I tried…I tried to save you…please…don't go…" Another tug at his spark. Ironhide then felt Leanna hug the finger as he was about to pull it out, realizing that she thought it was her little sister was his finger and let her stroke it. Then, she woke up, tears in her eyes.

"…Kelly…" Leanna whispered in a daze and then snapped out of it as she realized that she was holding a gigantic metal finger. She blushed a little as she let go, jumped out of bed, and looked at Ironhide, who only held a concerned face. The battle-hardened warrior couldn't help but feel just as distressed as she was when she experienced the nightmare.

"I…I…you weren't..." she stammered as she began tears forming again as she thought of the dream…

_Dream_

_"No! Kelly!" Leanna was screaming, still in her 19-year-old form and something was making her keep still and she couldn't move her body. She saw herself as a 15 year old again, sitting in the arms of the police officer. The greenhorn was stroking her hair and crying as she screamed Kelly's name and her parents' names in the air._

_"You stupid bitch! Go after them! There's still time!" Leanna was screaming at her fifteen-year-old-self, the trucks not having exploded yet and Kelly screaming at her sister to save her from inside the wreckage, ringing in the 19-year-old Leanna's ears._

_"Somebody! Anybody! Help! Goddamn it, stop sitting there like a sissy, you're an officer, now stop fondling me you ass and get my sister!" Leanna reprimanded loudly, trying to get the green horn to look at her, "What about the rest of you wimps?!? Go in there and get my sister! You're all cops! GET MY SISTER!"_

_"GET UP, YOU WEAK PIECE OF CRAP!!!" Leanna switched back to yelling at younger self when the other cops weren't listening, "GET UP, YOU STILL HAVE-" In slow motion, the car exploded and Leanna had to shield herself from the blast's light. Suddenly, everything was gone, the intersection and everything else except for the intensely hot fire and saw her sister crying into her teddy bear and holding her knees to her chest._

_"Kelly…" Leanna whispered and she tried to run to her sister, but she was getting farther and farther away, "KELLY!" Kelly looked up and she reached out, their hands barely touching. She then began pulled away._

_"Kelly," Leanna whimpered as she began crying, "Please…I'm sorry, I tried…I tried to save you…please…don't go…" And then, suddenly, Kelly came back, for the first time in her nightmares, Kelly didn't fade away screaming and asking why her big sister didn't save her. Kelly came back, smiling and ran up to her, hugging her and Leanna just grasped and pulled her close in amazement._

_"Oh my god…" she cried and breathed, "Kelly." She stroked her and kissed her hair while Kelly told her that it wasn't her fault and that it was okay because she was there. And then she woke up with her in her arms…_only to realize that it was Ironhide's finger.

End Dream

"I am sorry if I disturbed you…but you were having a nightmare and kept calling out 'Kelly'…I was concerned, so I tried to calm you by stroking your back. You calmed down, but you wouldn't let go of my finger" Ironhide said softly, putting his hand near the window. Leanna rubbed her eyes and slowly climbed onto her bed and then climbed out of the window and onto Ironhide's hand.

"When…when I was holding your finger…when you were stroking my back," Leanna said a little uncomfortably as she was held up to his face, "For the first time…for the first time, Kelly didn't fade away. She didn't scream at me, she didn't ask me why I didn't save her…she came back to me." Ironhide kept feeling these tugs on his spark and nodded slowly and used a finger to keep her chin up.

"Thank you Ironhide, for the first time, I had a dream. A real dream where I got to be with my sister. Not a nightmare where all I dreamt of was fire and being alone…" Leanna whispered as he pulled her chin up with a finger. Leanna then touched a side of his face and she hugged him. A bit surprised, he stiffened, but Leanna kept hugging him and closing her eyes. Eventually, Ironhide hugged her back and sat back down, back to the house and kept hugging her, nuzzling her head with his own softly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep crying," Leanna apologized as she realized that she was still crying on him, pulling away to wipe the tears and looked at him, "The dream's over...and I'm still crying."

"It's alright, I was made for letting you humans and their rodents leak lubricants on me," Ironhide joked softly, making Leanna laugh a little but she ultimately kept crying and she put her head in the crook of his large neck. Again, Ironhide nuzzled her head and Leanna curled her body around his head and neck, Ironhide holding her with his hands.

'This feeling…I always had this feeling whenever Chromia was distressed…' Ironhide wondered, still nuzzling her neck and wanting to comfort her, 'Is it…possible to have another spark mate?' Ironhide almost snorted at himself, but knew that it would probably hurt a lulling Leanna on his neck.

'I cannot have another spark mate…yet…this feeling, I cannot explain it and it's so similar to Chromia's…' Ironhide had an inner turmoil, he felt as though he was replacing Chromia as his spark mate with Leanna, but he also felt so happy and glad whenever he was around her and wanted to be with her…

'Primus, help me,' Ironhide thought, noticing that Leanna was now just nuzzling his neck back and sighing, stroking his metal neck once in a while, 'Am…am I in love with this human female?' Ironhide then laid down and just decided to go into stasis as she felt her heart rate beginning to slow and her breathing became more longer and slower.

"Ironhide…" Leanna whispered, making chills run down his metal spine and nuzzled her head again, turning on a random tune to help her sleep. After all, they had actually come back to Leanna's house at 3 in the morning.

"_Morning, day, and night, what would I do, would I do right…_" his radio softly sang, Leanna's eyes fluttering and her stroking becoming softer and now wasn't stroking as much.

"Ironhide," Leanna whispered again, "Stay with me?"

"Of course…" Ironhide whispered back as he put his hand on top of her body to keep her warm and they both slept.

* * *

chiv-id: Yay! Ironhide and Leanna fluffliness!

Ironhide and Leanna: (still sleeping in each other's arms)

chiv-id: Awww...they're so cute together! (whispering so that they don't wake up and chiv-id can take pictures) Reviews, peoples! Now off to sell these pictures on the internet...

Ironhide and Leanna: (wakes up after few flashes) What the...CHIV-ID! (chases chiv-id for camera)

chiv-id: Bye bye! (still being chased and refuses to give camera up)


	7. Forgiveness

chiv-id: Hi everyone, well my brainstorming is slowing down...unfortunately. That or it's because I have so much homework, I don't know! Well, I can't guarantee that you'll like this chapter, but I think that I might be thinking of a way to...never mind, you'll find out later!

Ironhide: Find out what?

chiv-id: I told you, you'll find out later. Oh and if you want to read the chapter, go right on ahead, I put it in that room over there...

Ironhide: ...Fine... (stomps off and then yells in protest when a heavy titanium door is shut on him and is totally 100 cannon proof)

chiv-id: Sorry Ironhide, but you're going to hate me after this chapter! I'll make it up to you nex time! (patts the door) Anyway:

Disclaimer: chiv-id does not own Transformers, but she does own Leanna! On with the chapter!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 6: Forgiveness

"Ironhide…Ironhide, come in, this is Ratchet…" Ratchet spoke through the com-link installed in Ironhide's head, "…IRONHIDE, GET YOUR TITANIUM AFT UP!" This startled Ironhide and he sat up a bit quickly, forgetting Leanna and she screamed as she was plopped down on the ground between his legs. Rubbing her butt and back, she glared up at him and stood up a bit stiffly, stretching. Shrugging apologetically, Ironhide pressed a small round disc on the side of his right head and spoke.

"This is Ironhide," he responded gruffly, "What is it Ratchet?"

"I've been trying to patch through to you for almost 10 minutes! I do not believe that you could have been in stasis that long. What were you doing?" Ratchet asked, sighing a little in frustration at this older comrade.

"I _was_ in stasis, you slag, now what is it?" Ironhide muttered impatiently, staring after a sore and angry Leanna who went back through the patio in the house, again shrugging apologetically as she glared back, "It had better be important."

"I wanted to check in with Leanna, bring her in so I may remove the brace and examine her ribs," Ratchet replied, making Ironhide wince as he realized that he had probably made her ribs worse. Leanna was sitting on Ironhide's neck and was just dropped about 7 feet off the ground. Ironhide, a little nervous, scratched his head.

"Fine," Ironhide told Ratchet, "I will bring her in 10 minutes. Over and out." Ironhide took his finger off of the com-link, and sighed a bit, rubbing his metal head.

"Ratchet's going to saw me in half…and he's going to ask questions," Ironhide regretted, then felt his neck, a little warmer than the rest of his body because that was where Leanna had rested. He thought back to her nightmares and his comforting and again thought of it as a regret, knowing that it was probably going to be awkward. He then decided that he couldn't lead her on into believing that they were more than friends, though his spark disagreed with his mind.

"Leanna…" he called through the window a bit loudly, "We are going to see Ratchet, and he's going to examine your ribs." He listened a bit closely with his audio receptors and caught a small sigh.

"Well, I think I have to make up an excuse because when you dropped me on my ass, it turned green again. What made you sit-up so fast?" Leanna responded back, yelling a bit as the hiss of the shower head was turned on.

"I was contacted by Ratchet and yelled at me," Ironhide said, "I was in stasis, it is much like those annoying machines that make large beeping noises." Ironhide rested against the house as she finished her hygienic routine before she went out of the house and through the patio to Ironhide. She was dressed in a plain white tee and blue jeans, very normal clothes, only that she clutched the Allspark under her arm.

"Why do you have the Allspark?" asked Ironhide through his radio as he transformed into his GMC Topkick form.

"I figure that if someone raids my house while I'm not here, at least they won't get the Allspark," Leanna said with a shrug but winced as she grasped her right side. Ironhide stayed silent as Leanna opened the door and let him through and closed it after him. She piled in and kept the Allspark on her lap while she strapped in. Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on the wheel and for some reason, Ironhide seemed to stiffen up. The rumbling of the motor stopped and he seemed frozen for some reason.

"Ironhide…" Leanna said in a sigh, "I forgive you, okay? I get worse bruises from my underlings in martial arts class." Ironhide kept silent but revved his engine and they drove off in silence. Leanna swore it was the most uncomfortable 10 minutes of her life, sitting with her hands barely touching the wheel and just occasionally glancing over to the console or the radio, hoping for any sign that he would talk to her or even communicate with her. Ironhide pulled up to the series of warehouses known as the Autobot base and slowly opened the door, Leanna getting out slowly and hesitantly.

"What did I do?" Leanna whispered a little sadly, touching the hood of the truck with care before walking away to get checked by Ratchet. Leanna felt so hurt…why did it hurt so much she wondered. Ironhide stayed in his truck form and wondered if she too regretted the morning nap, now the afternoon. If only he knew how wrong he was…

'I am an Autobot…she is a human femm…and I already had a spark mate…Chromia…what would you want me to do?' Ironhide thought in turmoil, sitting back on his shocks as he saw her expression and his audio receptors picked up on her almost nonexistent question, 'I…I am sorry Leanna…I did not mean to hurt you, but I cannot jeopardize you and put you in danger. To be with me…means to be in peril forever and I cannot always be there to protect you…' Ironhide cursed himself, knowing he was making excuses, his spark practically jumping from his dead spark mate to his new female human companion. He turned himself a little to look at Leanna. At this point, Leanna walked in and sat on the large metal table, pulling her T-shirt off as she saw Ratchet.

"Hey Ratchet…" Leanna muttered, sadly and spaced-out, trying to deal with the odd jumble of emotions that ran through her. Ratchet noticed this immediately, her posture and her voice oozing misery. She looked down and seemed to be staring at her legs, but then almost like she was trying to see past them, past the ground. Her back was bent so that she could stare at the ground, head hung low. Ratchet approached her a bit apprehensively and noticed that Ironhide hadn't entered the hangar with her. It was disturbing to see her this way Ratchet admitted, expecting an either happy or playfully angry with Ironhide.

"Leanna…" Ratchet said in a soft voice, Leanna's head snapping up at the sound of his voice, "I detect your stress levels are extremely high…what has happened?" She didn't reply, only hanging her head back down so that he wouldn't see her face. It didn't take long for Ratchet to realize that she was crying now, shaking with a few silent sobs, a small plip-plopping sound made itself heard as her tears dropped. Ratchet, determined to know what was wrong, hooked his finger under her chin and gently lifted it up, seeing tears everywhere.

"He's…he's ignoring me…I…I think I did something wrong, but…but…" Leanna tried to reason with herself while sobbing, and Ratchet instantly knew who she was talking about. He turned his yellow head to look outside the hangar and saw that Ironhide was still in his truck form, the medic narrowing his optics and zooming in on the black truck.

"Stay here," he ordered as her sobs became louder and she laid down on the table, trying to silence herself. He knew that she would indeed stay there, hurt. This was one kind of pain that almost escaped him, despite his medical know-how, but he wouldn't let it get to Leanna (if you're wondering, he's talking about serious emotional pain). He resolved to get to the bottom of this.

"Ironhide, what did you do you piece of scrap?" Ratchet whispered harshly as he stomped over, making sure that Leanna didn't hear him, "Her stress levels are off the chart and she is crying!" Ironhide transformed and just looked at Ratchet, then looked at the ground, refusing to speak to Ratchet about the matter. Ratchet then promptly punched him in the head, knocking Ironhide to the ground and Ratchet wrestled the older bot into a position where he had Ironhide pinned down and his saw threatening to cut the black bot in half.

"I am not leaving until you tell me this instant what happened," Ratchet seethed, his saw making a soft whirring sound as he started it up.

"Guh…urg…gah…get off me your fraggin' aft off of me!" Ironhide harshly growled back, again beginning to struggle but saw Ratchet's saw veering for his head slowly. He sighed and stopped struggling.

"This morning…" Ironhide began, "I woke up early and found Leanna experiencing a nightmare, one of about her family. I calmed her and she was startled when she found out that I was the one who was comforting her." The whirring of the saw stopped and Ratchet retracted it into a hand, but still kept Ironhide pinned.

"She thanked me and hugged me as I kept comforting her. Eventually, we both went to sleep, me holding her and her holding onto my neck…it was an act that brought back my memories of me and Chromia...Ratchet…would Chromia think that I was replacing her if she could see me now?" Ironhide asked softly, Ratchet relinquishing his hold on him as he realized his old friend's dilemma, "She was my spark mate…and spark mates mate for life…would I…would I be, as the humans say, cheating on her? She is gone, but I still feel guilty whenever my spark jumps out at Leanna." Ratchet sat back and let Ironhide sit up, who now took a sitting position with one leg bent and up, the other sat on the side, also bent. Ironhide sighed and rubbed his gigantic metal head.

"Ironhide," Ratchet called out, Ironhide shifting his head so that he was grasping the right side of his face and the left side was facing Ratchet, the icy blue optical looking almost tired in Ratchet's view, "I believe that Chromia would want you to be happy…even if it means that it's not with her." That made Ironhide snort, but it ended more as an exhale of defeat.

"What would she say if she saw her spark mate denying love for another that made him happy? I would never believe that Chromia would allow her spark mate's spark to die just because of her death. If she truly loved you, she would tell you to move on," Ironhide this time snorted, but more firmly, "Of course, I do not believe that she'd like you to forget her either. Just…just try Ironhide. I do not like to see others hurt, especially female humans who show their sadness with such spark-wrenching actions." Ironhide still seemed hesitant and Ratchet sighed and decided to add on for a good measure, "Nor would Chromia. As I recall, she was a most endearing and kind femm who cared for all life forms almost as strongly as Optimus. Would you be doing her right by breaking Leanna's heart?" This time Ironhide's opticals widened at this and looked at Ratchet, who smiled a small smile, knowing he hit Ironhide's main issue right on the head. Ironhide nodded a bit and stood up, now feeling guilty about Leanna.

"Talk to her," encouraged Ratchet, giving his friend a small push. Nodding slightly, he took a deep breath and then opened the hangar doors and his spark became wrenched, just as Ratchet had described, by the sight he saw. She was shaking a little, her sobs quieted down a bit, but still disturbing. Leanna was laying on her side, her knees drawn up to her chest and she was crying into them, hurt raking her brain and most of all her heart.

"Leanna…" Ironhide said a bit nervously. Leanna froze and just drew her legs even closer and tried to keep quiet. He sighed again, knowing that this wouldn't be easy to discuss nor pleasant.

"Leanna, I am sorry…I did not try to hurt you. It's just…it's just…oh fraggit!" Ironhide cursed, surprising Leanna and she uncurled herself and turned around with her eyes threatening to spill if he didn't saw what he needed to say. He sighed.

"Alright, here is _my_ story. I once had a spark mate, much akin to your term of wife, her name was Chromia. She died in the implosion of Cybertron when it was destroyed, when I went to go look for survivors with my fellow Autobots, I came upon her corpse first…half of it…" Ironhide had to take a deep breath as he relived the memories and Leanna only listened, not judging and now not caring at Ironhide's previous demeanor, "I had mourned over her loss and I instantly swore to tear those Decepticon scum limb from limb if I ever found them. This is how torn I was over her demise." Ironhide took another deep breath as he was about to explain his behavior.

"The reason why I was treating you so coldly after was because I felt guilty about betraying Chromia…but now I realize that she'd rather have me happy then let my spark die. I know not whether you care for me as much as I do," Leanna's eyes widened a bit at this and Ironhide took note, "But I do care for you, nonetheless. I apologize for hurting you in any way…do you forgive me, Leanna?" Ironhide then stood still, awaiting her answer. She looked down, then to the right and rubbed her arm. She jumped down off of the table and stood before him, looking him in the optical.

"I do forgive you. I had felt hurt that you were cold and weren't talking to me…I'm actually kind of confused to be honest…" Leanna said quietly, "Since I didn't think it would hurt that much…but after what you told me…I think I know the reason why…" Ironhide now took on a surprised expression as he realized what she was implying.

"Ironhide…I see you as a friend, but…I think…I think that there may be something more here," Leanna came out with it, shifting from her left foot to her right as she stared down at the ground now, "And…if…if you let me…I'd be glad to get to know you more." Ratchet cracked a wide smile on his alien robotic face and couldn't think of any other way that would have gone so smoothly. He had watched the whole affair through the crack of the two doors that led to the hangar, his audio percepters picking up every word. Leanna had to crack a smile on her own, knowing that Ratchet was listening, having caught Ratchet out of the corner of her eye. She went up and hugged Ironhide's leg, then pulled back and looked at Ratchet.

"Thank you Cupid," she joked, making Ratchet jolt and he instantly backed off. She giggled as Ironhide growled and pulled out his cannon and proceeded to chase him around the warehouses. Ironhide kept yelling at Ratchet with things like, "You set this up, you frag", waving his cannon as he ran after Ratchet. She sat down and watched it all and just sighed, thinking it perfectly amusing. Then her face fell as she heard an odd humming sound. She looked up, hearing the sound from above and saw an F-22 jet, gray in color fly above. The other mechs stopped as well as they heard the sound and looked above.

"IT'S STARSCREAM!" roared Ironhide, both of them running back to the bay as they saw the jet circle back and drop down. Ironhide ran as fast as he could, praying that he would get there in time before any harm befell the one he fell in love with. At that moment, Leanna stood up and rushed inside, grabbing the piece of Allspark and ran for her life because Starscream dropped to a dangerously low height and had shot off a missile, which headed straight for the sick bay. She skidded to the right as she got out of the warehouse, a huge flame bursting out from the doorway as it exploded. Leanna kept running though, seeing the jet zoom over head again.

'Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit OH SHIT! NOT GOOD!' thought Leanna as Starscream dropped a bomb in front of her, making her skid to a stop. Then, upon turning around, she found Starscream in his bot mode, grinning evilly at her.

"Give me the Allspark, and I shall spare your life, disgusting human femm!" Starscream snarled in a dangerous tone, taking one step forward, making Leanna back toward the flames. Upon feeling a small flame lick her ankle, she jumped forward and glanced back then looked to Starscream with dread. She was trapped…until she spied the hangar doors open just a smidge, enough for a person to get through. Leanna bolted and Starscream was about to take after her but a certain weapons specialist tackled him to the ground and they dove to the ground, just as Leanna had gotten to the doors.

"RUN!" Ironhide yelled at her, Leanna just nodding and she ran. That is, until she heard a pained gasp come behind her and she skidded to a stop. Starscream threw Ironhide through the hangar doors and he landed with a sickening crunch of metal, Leanna screaming as she spied a glowing green-blue substance coat a large area around where the black mech had landed. She ran over and found that he had been punctured by some kind of blade and that the glowing goo that had slicked the floor was pouring freely from the wound in his stomach. Ironhide, grunting in pain, pushed Leanna behind him and proceeded to stand up, only to be smacked down by Starscream again while Leanna ran to move out of the way of Ironhide's falling body.

"I will not repeat myself idiotic female! Give me the Allspark!" Starscream roared and pointed his cannon at her, her face illuminated by the cannon's glow, indicating that it was heating up. She glanced left and right and found that Ratchet had snuck in and was trying to patch Ironhide as best as he could, Ironhide making it difficult for him as he tried to reach Leanna. She shook her head, her face an odd tumbleweed brown, the palest her face could get.

"Then die!" Starscream screamed at her, running forward with the cannon still ready to go. Ironhide had reached Starscream then and pulled on his leg, causing Starscream to fall as Ironhide jerked his leg out from under him. Starscream landed on his chest, his cockpit, breaking the glass. The joystick inside then accidentally shifting to press the missile button, another cannon coming from his shoulder and it fired off a missile. Leanna screamed in terror as it came straight towards her, trying to out run it but it hit the ground right under her feet. The shrapnel hit her first, then the heat from the explosion, throwing her against the metal wall of the warehouse.

"No!" Ironhide yelled, getting to his feet quickly despite the large gaping hole in his armor and his body and ran towards her, "Leanna!" He kneeled on the ground as his strength suddenly left him, though luckily he was already next to Leanna as soon as this happened. He picked her body up with a non-gooed hand and cradled it in his arm. What he saw made his spark scream in fury and agony. The clothes Leanna had worn were torn and in shreds, the parts where you could see her body where covered in burns, making her once-coffee-colored skin a deep and painful red. Her face was no better, but it seemed as though that she had turned around to look at the missile and the shrapnel embedded itself within her forehead and in her neck. She was bleeding profusely and her breaths were more like strangled and gurgling gasps. An odd gray dust covered some of her body, but Ironhide paid no attention.

"Leanna…oh Primus…" Ironhide whispered, taking in the painful sight. Leanna turned her head slightly and tears were in her eyes, blood welling from her throat as she tried to speak, also leaking from her neck. He tried to silence her, but she shook her head, several pieces of her midnight hair dropped off after being fried.

"Ironhide…I am…soo-" her voice came out gurgling as blood continually blocked her speech, "-rry…I…I should'rrvvee run like you saaiid…forgive mee…" Ironhide nodded his head only as he tried to comprehend what she said, bringing her close and gently nuzzling her head a bit and she cracked a pained smile, the skin peeling a little with more blood.

"I forgive you, just please…please, you have to stay…" Ironhide knew she was dying, but didn't want to face it, "Please…" With the apology accepted, as if it was her last goal in life, she kept that pained smile on her face as she gave a strangled sigh with the blood still pouring out and her eyes seemed to give out as her smile faded. Her head lopped to the side, lifeless. Ironhide's optics went wide. He tried to deny what his scans told him, the long droning beep of a long gone heartbeat rattling around inside his head.

"Leanna…?" asked Ironhide, whispering as he nosed her head a bit, a little similar to how animal mothers push the heads of their young when they try to determine the live from the deceased. Again, her head just lopped to the side, her eyes empty. Ironhide's own opticals seemed to dim as he felt a profound twinge in his spark. Leanna…someone who had somehow worked her way into his spark…was gone.

* * *

chiv-id: (sniffs) That was a sad chapter... (jumps as she hears loud booming and cannon noises coming from the room where Ironhide is locked in)

Ironhide: I AM GOING TO BLAST YOU CHIV-ID IF YOU DO NOT GET LEANNA BACK! I SWEAR! (continues with blasting and there are now large dents in the doors)

chiv-id: Of course I am, you bucket of bolts! (runs over and kicks door) You think I would end the series that quickly?

Ironhide (calms down a little) No...

chiv-id: Then I will let you out on the account that you will not rip my head off or anything like that if I let you out then...

Ironhide: ...Fine. (walks out of the room after chiv-id opens it and sits in corner until Leanna comes back)

chiv-id: Well...(rubs head seeing Ironhide act like emo person), in the mean time, I guess I'll just bring Leanna back in the next chapter (starts typing)

Leanna: (materializes randomly next to Ironhide) What...what the fuck? Was it just me or did I just get freaking blown up by a damn missile?!?

Ironhide: Leanna! (begins to crush her in arms)

Leanna: (gasping for breath) Can't (wheeze) breathe! (gasp) (Ironhide just smiles and cuddles in sheer happiness) (Leanna, embarrassed) Ironhide, quit it!

chiv-id: Aw!...well, at least I got Ironhide to stop being an emo robot. Anyways, reviews people! Give me your reviews and I'll start working on another chapter and maybe...just maybe a JazzXOC or BumblebeeXOC...

Jazz: Aw hell yeah! Give it up for Jazz, baby!

chiv-id: Shut the hell up, I didn't put you back in yet! (throws pot at Jazz's head and promptly turns him off-line) Anyways, again, reviews!


	8. It's A Custom Paint Job

chiv-id: Hello everyone! I see that there were some more reviews, but only like one or two responded on whether I should work on a JazzXOC or BumblebeeXOC next. Please respond in your reviews and if there are more than...maybe 6? 7? I'll decide who's the winner for the next fanfic. Anyways, I'm getting Starscream to do the disclaimer in apology for what I'm going to do to him in this chapter! Okay, you're on!

Starscream: What did you mean an 'apology for what you're going to do to me'? Answer me fleshbag!

chiv-id: WHO YOU CALLING FLESHBAG, YOU BUCKET OF BOLTS! (throws pot at his head and turned him off-line) (sighs) Jazz, how about you? You're coming back soon, but not this chapter, so I'll just let you get in here to get the itch out.

Jazz: Yeah, you better be puttin' me in here! That pot hurt ya' know? So, here we go:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna, ya'll! Aw yeah, on with this shit! (Ironhide enters randomly)

Ironhide: Where is Leanna? I was in stasis when she disappeared.

chiv-id: (smiles mischieviously) Oh...I have a feeling she'll turn up sooner or later (sniggering at thought in chiv-id's head)

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 7: It's A Custom Paintjob

Leanna woke up and felt as though she were dreaming, floating almost. Light headed, she sat up, only to go flipping forward as if she were in zero-gravity. Ending up with being upside down, she struggled to right herself and looked around.

"Whoa…" Leanna said, dizzy, "I know someone must have either slipped me a rufee or got me high." What she saw was clear blue sky, clouds, and the occasional surprised blue bird or two. She was floating a ways up from the ground and stared down with an unsettling feeling in her stomach. Leanna looked a little more closely and found that she was perhaps a few hundred feet above the warehouses of the Autobot base. She gulped and wondered how the heck she got up there. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples a bit before her eyes snapped back open, remembering turning to see where the missile was heading and pulling the Allspark in defense just before the missile exploded at her feet. She cringed at the memory, then her eyes slowly widened to realize that she had actually died.

"So…now I'm a frickin' ghost, is that it?" she wondered out loud and looked back down again. She took a moment to figure out how she was going to get down and just willed her body to move a little to the right. As soon as she shifted to the right a little, she smirked and willed herself to fly back down. It was exhilarating, flying through the air. Leanna saw the warehouse coming into view and she tried to slow down, but was going too fast. She braced herself for impact as she kept trying to slow herself down. She zoomed through the ceiling of the warehouse and stopped with her head poking out of the ground. She pulled her arms away from her eyes and blinked. She laughed a little in surprise when she realized that she was just a head.

"Well…that was weird," Leanna remarked, pulling herself. Brushing herself off, she looked up and smirked again. Being a ghost wasn't so bad…until she glanced towards the place where she was blasted. Ironhide was cradling her body in his arms, just staring at her with dim optics. Energon, the liquid that kept his life going, was still leaking out onto the floor, but it seemed that Ironhide didn't care in the least. He bent down and nuzzled her head again, but with dim optics still staring at her body. He seemed to be trying to do the impossible: wake Leanna up from her death. Leanna walked over and put a hand on his body, even though she knew he couldn't feel it.

"Ironhide…" Leanna whispered, stroking the metal, though her hand went through him a couple of times.

"I see we are both in a predicament," a smooth metallic voice floated over to her and she jumped a little and turned around. She was surprised to see a small white ball, glowing, the source of the voice.

"You another ghost?" asked Leanna, unwary of whether she should go over to it or not.

"In a sense…yes. I am what you call the Allspark, or at least what the Autobots call me as you've been told," the white glowing ball said, floating a little closer, "My form in that piece of scrap was destroyed when you held it up to that Decepticon's blast…my, my how my children have grown…and so violent."

"You're…the Allspark?" she said a little incredulously and in a low voice.

"Yes, but if you'd rather have me differently…" the white glowing ball suddenly grew into the form of a girl. The white faded away a little, but the glowing didn't. The girl had short silver hair and it was spiked so that it was spiked out in the back. Small antennas were on the side of her head, making them remind Leanna of Optimus' own antennas. She had markings all over her silver body, markings that had once been on the fragment of Allspark. She was short, only coming up to Leanna's chin, making her about 5'7" about or so. A black visor covered her eyes, only small white twinkles clued Leanna to what color the Allspark girl's eyes were.

"Well…you look nice…" Leanna said lamely, still a little bit disoriented from the whole deal still.

"Thank you, my dear, now I'd like to offer you a proposition," the Allspark girl said, speaking as though she were much older than she looked, "I see that you've been chosen by that black mech as a spark mate, is that correct?" Leanna turned her head to Ironhide a little confused then remembered what Ironhide had said about Chromia being his spark mate. She nodded her head a few seconds later, making the connections.

"I have a solution for both of us to live. If you consent, I will bind myself to you and we shall live together in the same body. I shall support you upon Cybertronian energy while you sustain me with your soul. I cannot regenerate unless I have a willing host. When I have regenerated enough, I shall expel myself from your body in my original cube form and you shall have your human body back," the Allspark girl explained, Leanna's head spinning from the amount of info crammed into her head. She shook her head to shake away the dizziness and continued to listen.

"Do you understand?" asked the Allspark female, seeing Leanna look confused several times during her little speech, "Do I need to repeat myself?"

"You want me to let you live inside my body while you put yourself back together…kind of like trying to reverse the effects of Humpty-Dumpty, got it!" Leanna said, confusing the Allspark girl this time who had no idea who this "Humpty-Dumpty" of which Leanna spoke of.

"You do realize that there might be…consequences of taking me in, don't you?" asked the Allspark girl in disbelief, "Never once has a host been so willing." Leanna looked at Ironhide who gently put her body down and turned with his head down a little, but Leanna was smaller and could see his opticals. They were now a deep violet, red seeping into his blue and mixing to create a raging swirl of purple within the once trademark Autobot blue.

"For Ironhide…anything!" Leanna said firmly, "Just do it already!" She opened her arms, not knowing what to do really, but the Allspark girl understood what Leanna wanted her to do. The Allspark transformed back into a white ball and she rushed forward and plowed into Leanna's chest, knocking Leanna back a bit. Leanna screamed as she felt the pain exploding through every ounce in her body, the Allspark forcing its way into her little by little.

"Stay with me!" the Allspark yelled, knowing how painful it was to bind for the host, "Leanna, if you fall unconscious, we won't be able to bond!" Leanna just screamed and her body began to convulse rapidly as the pain just increased. From another viewpoint, Ironhide just walked away from the damaged body of Leanna with revenge displayed prominently in his eyes. He didn't notice the strange little twitch that went throughout her body every so often. He walked over to Ratchet who had restrained Starscream, the yellow medic using his saw to keep him there.

"Pathetic Autobot scum! Look what you made me do!" hissed Starscream in anger, struggling despite the vicious whirring of Ratchet's saw, "The Allspark is gone!" Ironhide said nothing but kneeled down and looked straight into Starscream's optics, for once quieting as he saw the revenge and rage within Ironhide's burning optics. Ratchet also knew that look, the same when Ironhide had found Chromia lodged between two rocks, the rocks smashing her middle to section off her lower body. This was not good.

"Ironhide…don't," was the only warning Starscream got when Ironhide suddenly ripped him away from Ratchet's grasp and slammed him on the wall. Ironhide repeatedly punched him furiously with all his strength, energon flowing freely from his wound and splashing at their feet. Ratchet knew that Ironhide would most likely die from energon loss if he didn't patch up his wound, and Ironhide's beating was only made his time come faster.

"Ironhide! He's not worth it!" Ratchet exclaimed, trying to pull Ironhide off, getting energon on his feet from Ironhide. He also tried to ignore the energon also flecking all over his face, grimacing as he realized how violent Ironhide was getting on Starscream. Starscream was just coughing and moaning a little, his face literally being dismantled by the ferocity of Ironhide's brawl. Ratchet was thrown back by Ironhide as he finally managed to pull off Ironhide for a brief moment, Starscream slipping to the ground in complete defeat. Ironhide wasn't about to go easy on him, though, coming over again and pulling out his cannon. Ratchet was about to go and stop him when he noticed the now rapidly twitching of Leanna's body.

"In the name of Primus…" Ratchet asked, bewildered. He was about to touch the body when the gray dust that had been scattered over the floor from the destruction of the Allspark suddenly whirled around her body and a white light blinded him as the dust gathered in a swarm above her body and plunged in. Ratchet's opticals were blinded and for a few moments, he could only see white and he pulled himself up and rubbed at them. When he recovered, his metal jaw dropped at the sight he saw. A beautiful chrome-colored femm was standing before him, white armor covering her sleek silver exterior. Her abdomen was shown, predominantly silver, her chest and her shoulders covered in the white armor. Her lower body was only covered by what seemed like a white bikini, her silver thighs gleaming ending in white armored leggings that encompassed her feet as well, black flame decals shooting up them. The decals also adorned the armor on her chest and her shoulders. Long, thin, white wires protruded from a silver head like hair, which matched her opticals, also white. A small black flame decal ran up the left side of her face, starting from the middle of her cheek to the metal plating above her eyebrow ridge. Her white opticals blinked once, then twice as she registered where she was.

"Ratchet?" questioned a familiar voice, issued from the beauty in front of him and he shook his head to get rid of his hanging jaw.

"Leanna?" Ratchet said in disbelief, wondering what the heck in Primus' name had happened. Her skin reminded him of liquid mercury, the stuff a metallic silver liquid.

"Yeah…" Leanna replied, finally looking at herself and turning this way and that way, "Wow, I don't think I ever looked this nice…wait, where's Ironhiii…holy crap!" Ratchet just remembered Ironhide and looked back to see Ironhide blasting off small pieces of Starscream's wings one at a time, making the Decepticon jet pay for what he did to the supposedly dead Leanna.

"Ironhide!" they both shouted, making him stop and turn when he heard the voice of someone he thought had died. Instead of seeing the human girl he fell in love with, he saw the white and silver femm that was a merging of Leanna and Allspark. He knew the voice, but he couldn't quite compute that this was his Leanna…perhaps it was from the energon loss…yup, he knew it was from the energon loss. With that, he collapsed and finally Starscream blacked out, the pain now not as bad as when Ironhide had been literally torturing the evil yet pitiful Decepticon. First, Ratchet went over to Ironhide since Starscream was fine, lucky to only have a messed up face and two now almost non-existent wings. Leanna couldn't help but feel sorry for the beat-up Decepticon, despite the fact that he just killed her a few minutes ago. She kneeled by Ironhide's side as his side was repaired and the energon stopped leaking out.

"He'll live, despite the amount of energon he lost, the old slag," Ratchet sighed with a tired tone, patching him up as best as he could, so that at least he wouldn't leak energon on the way to one of the recharge beds, "As will Starscream, though I bet he has only seen the kind of beating Ironhide has given him from Megatron." He chuckled a little at this thought, but was silenced by Leanna's presence, her slender chrome hand resting on Ironhide's shoulder plate.

"How...?" Ratchet asked as he proceeded to pull Ironhide up and place his left arm around Ratchet's shoulder. Leanna sighed a little, pulling Ironhide's other arm over her own shoulders, and told everything that happened, wincing as she got to the binding.

"The Allspark is now bound with you? And you were willing in this?" Ratchet stated incredulously, setting Ironhide on the recharge bed, "No sentient being would do that, it has been known that often their bodies and sparks, in your case soul, would be ripped apart to shreds! And yet you managed to survive what many mechs have not." Leanna just shrugged, getting down and laying on the recharge bed with Ironhide, her legs bent and out (think mermaid…don't ask why I just used that in comparison).

"I don't know, to be honest…the pain I felt definitely felt like I was going to be ripped apart but I kept thinking of Ironhide and all you guys and my friends and I knew that I had to pull through…especially for Ironhide," Leanna responded, stroking Ironhide's face. She found it amazing that she was now almost as big as him and her hand could cover his metal cheek.

"What are we going to do with Starscream over there? He looks worse than road kill," Leanna questioned, her face scrunching up a little at the sight of the broken bot. Ratchet himself had no idea what to do, so he just dragged him outside and bound Starscream with chains and set up a perimeter around him, lasers guarding Starscream from running away since flying was definitely out of the question. Coming back, Ratchet walked over to Ironhide whose hole still needed some patching up. Ratchet shooed Leanna, despite her being the new object of affection for Ironhide, away so that he could work in peace. She sighed as she walked out, the doors slamming shut behind her. She ran her hands through her new hair and sighed again.

"I have hair at least…even though I'm now prematurely white," she joked to herself, admiring her new look, "Jeez, I didn't think I'd look this good as an Autobot."

"_Like it?_" asked the Allspark, who had melded with her mind. Leanna was a bit startled at first, then smiled and nodded her head, to which the Allspark replied happily, "_Good. You're going to have it for a while. Might as well enjoy it while I repair myself._" Leanna was snapped out of the internal conversation when she heard the soft humming of engines and she realized that the other Autobots had returned. She pondered on their expressions, laughing a little.

'I wonder if I can change into a car,' Leanna thought and then thought of a car she'd want to transform into. She remembered doing a sketch a while back on the car she'd want to be. A 2009 Chevrolet Camero with a silver paint job, a big strip of white running from the hood to the back of the car with black flame decals on the sides. The car would also have fins on the back with a hole in the hood to allow air to cool the engine. She would have done the custom paint job herself when bought the car first. She looked at herself as she realized that she was perfect for it.

'_You didn't…_' Leanna spoke to the Allspark, wondering if the Allspark had purposefully read her mind and transformed her body just to fit her dream car's design, only receiving a sense of smug pride from the Allspark. Leanna had to smirk back and she concentrated on becoming one with the car (I know, zen right?).

"Sweet…" Leanna said through her new stereo system, leather seats, her silver paint job gleaming in the sun. She loved her new self because, frankly, it rocked. She revved her engine and drove around the warehouses to meet with the two other robots.

"Jeez, I can't believe that Starscream launched an attack on us…and we won," Sam remarked, looking at the unconscious jet through the energy bars of his new cell.

"Yes…it is remarkable, but what worries me is his condition…I have only seen this brutality from one robot and one robot only. Could Megatron be back? And why would he be at our base and not destroy it?" Optimus wondered out loud to himself, also observing the jet in his bot form. Mikaela was leaning on Bumblebee who was standing by Optimus to look at the Decepticon, like watching a caged animal sleep in the zoo. They all turned around to hear a revving of an engine and saw another 2009 Chevrolet Camero zoom up next to them. They all looked questionably at each other, Sam approaching the car first. When he didn't see anyone in the car, he backed up a bit.

"O-okay, who are you and what do you want?" asked Sam, holding his arms out so that Mikaela wouldn't get too close.

"So…you don't like me?" Leanna asked, everyone shocked to hear the familiar voice come out of the radio, transforming as she went and shook her white hair after, "It's a custom paint job." She giggled a little and again the other two bots' jaws dropped. Ratchet opened the doors to hear the others coming and had to chuckle a little as he saw his commander and the scout just staring at the beautiful chrome femm.

"I see you've found Leanna, come, I think it's better we tell you the story from in here. I still have to work on Ironhide," Ratchet advised, drawing concerned glances from the recent party of Autobots and humans. Everyone went inside and Ratchet and Leanna told the story from the beginning to the end, everyone again in shock.

"So…you _actually_ died?" Mikaela said, her eyes widening a little to Leanna's nodding, "Then…you came back with the help of the Allspark which led to you looking…like that." Leanna nodded again and pretended to put on a hurt face.

"Oh, so you're saying you don't like me looking like this? After all the times we shared…you hurt me!" Leanna proclaimed dramatically, earning a laugh and a playful glare from Mikaela.

"You are too dramatic, Lea, you know that right?" Mikaela joked, laughing. Leanna also joined in and nodded.

"Finished!" Ratchet exclaimed, retracting his laser and rebooting Ironhide. Ironhide blinked once as his opticals came on-line, groaning as he held his head and sat up.

"What the slag happened? One moment, Leanna was dead and I was beating the slag out of Starscream and the next thing I know I'm out," Ironhide groaned out, but then turned his head in confusion as he saw a slender chrome hand reach out and cup his chin. His optics widened as he took the femm's sight in.

"I'm not dead, I'm right here," Leanna said softly, smiling and using her other hand to rub his metal head. Ironhide just stared in disbelief and it was too much to take in. He saw her die and then come back to life all in one day, this was too much stress for the poor mech and his optics dimmed as a heavy thud was heard when he "fainted" back onto the recharge bed. Everyone stared at the reaction and then looked back to Leanna, just as shocked at his reaction as everyone else was.

"I've heard of drop-dead gorgeous…but that was way too much," Leanna joked, making them laugh and shake their head.

* * *

chiv-id: See! I told you she'd turn up sooner or later!

Ironhide: (wakes up again) Primus...what happened?

Leanna: That would be me! (walks in with new look as a femm, strutting and drawing everyone's opticals on her and giggles) So, Ironhide, how ya feeling?

Ironhide: (gapes and faints again)

Leanna: ...Is he going to keep doing that?

chiv-id: (shrugs) He needs to get used to you, but there's some energon leaking from his nose...he's getting a nose bleed! HAHAHAHA! (rolling on floor from laughter) Please haha review hahaha! Need them! Hahahahaha!

Leanna: So...he thinks I'm hot? (runs hands over exterior and checks herself with poses)

chiv-id: (stops rolling around and wipes tears from eye) Duh! (heavy thuds heard through out room as the other Autobots and remaining Decepticons also get nose bleeds and faints) OH MY EFFING GOD! HAHAHAHAHAHA! (rolls around floor again, drowning in laughter, along with Leanna who sees everyone twitching) Reviews!


	9. Lo and Behold, the Silver Bot Returns

chiv-id: Hello again everybody! As you can tell by the heading below, we're-

Leanna: (scoffs) Don't spoil it for everyone, just don't say anything at all. (turns to Ironhide) I'll handle the disclaimer, Ironhide, you shut her the hell up.

chiv-id: Eeep! (runs away)

Ironhide: Got it... (runs after chiv-id)

Leanna: (sighs) Ok, so:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own me...that sounded so wrong...

chiv-id: I won't spoil it, I swear! Just stop chasing me...and on with the chapter!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 8: And Lo and Behold, the Silver Bot Returns

Leanna woke up and her white opticals powered up and she blinked before yawning and stretching. She winced as she waited for the usual pain from her bruised ribs, only to receive none and she blinked in surprise. Then she laughed a little at herself, remembering that she wasn't human anymore. She smiled at first, but then her smile fell and she just had a small sad frown on her face. She repeated her thoughts.

'I'm…not human anymore,' Leanna thought sadly, 'What I was…what made me 'me'…' Leanna just sat on the recharge bed in darkness and silence, running a hand over her new sleek leg. The metallic leg that though she thought would be cold was just as warm as if she were human. She sighed and got off, stretching again before opening the door of her new instated room. They had given her the room since she couldn't go home and grab her stuff…as if she needed it since she was Autobot now…

'_Now now, dear, don't fret. Know that this will be over in due time. If I had tried to recover on my own with me practically almost absorbed and in that dust, it would have taken me perhaps 2000 years to rebuild myself to half my size. With a host however…_' the Allspark paused, '_It may only take as much as a human year to become half my size. So, according to calculations, I will only borrow you for two human years._' Leanna sighed and the Allspark felt a little confused, knowing that two years is smaller than a millennia.

'_I would think you happy, two human years is less than 2000 years…or are my calculations wrong?_' the Allspark remarked, Leanna shaking her head in response.

'It's not that…I get that you're trying to tell me that it's better than a million or whatever years, but…still…two years without knowing what regular food tastes like or having normal friends…it's just…daunting…' Leanna thought, communicating with the powerful entity. The entity understood and sent a small wave of calm feelings to the depressed and somewhat distressed Autobot girl. Leanna smiled a small smile and brushed the metal hair out of her face. She was going to get through this...and hopefully without the amber alert going off when her uncle called in after summer. She went down the hall and spied a hangar with Optimus in it, who happened to be working on trying to get his signal out to distant planets to see if there were more Autobots. Leanna went on to find another hangar, this time it was Ratchet and Bumblebee, Ratchet still working on Bumblebee's vocal cords since they hadn't really fully healed. Often, Bumblebee would just give a humming noise because they hurt whenever he talked, and his talking was mostly in broken syllables. She waved a hello to which Bumblebee waved and then jerked as Ratchet whapped him on the head for moving and they moved to argue a little in Bumblebee's hums and Ratchet's rants. Leanna giggled and waved once more, though it went unnoticed. Leanna stopped in front of the next door, the door leading to Ironhide's room and she pressed her audio receptors into the door to listen to the soft beeping of the monitor that had been placed in Ironhide's room just in case Ironhide had a problem after losing so much energon. She smiled softly as she remembered Ironhide's gentle caress of her body and his hilarious reaction to her new form. She left him resting in peace. Finally, she ended up in the sick bay and found herself drawn to the corpse of Jazz. Once again, she saw the shabby state of the transformer, his silver now a dull gray and the rust had become worse. She sighed as she sat down and stroked his arm.

"Hello again," Leanna whispered softly, looking at the halved-bot, "Sorry to disturb you…" Leanna just couldn't help but feel sorry for the dead Autobot, regretting not having met him and yet thankful at the same time because she didn't feel the sorrow of losing a close friend. Leanna brushed her hand over the metal of his spark and closed her opticals, remembering back to when she was a human and when she had used Ratchet for a bed…his spark had been warm and imagined Jazz's spark to be warm. The spark was like a heart she thought, or maybe even a soul. A glowing ball of light…essential to live and thrive. She again imagined what his spark would have felt like, glowing, right in the center of the silver chest, warm, and most of all _alive_. Leanna felt a small buzzing in the back of her head, wondering a bit and contacted her body mate.

'Allspark? What is it?' Leanna asked, but didn't receive an answer. Instead she felt an odd sensation, one could almost describe it as a pulse, running down her arm and it was then that she heard an odd male voice, deep and urban.

"'Ey…" the voice said, reminding him of her father a little, "Who are you?" She opened her opticals and gasped, removing her hand away from the chest, which was now glowing fully. She scrambled backwards, trying to stand up and run, but just ended up landing on her afterburner as she kept her sights on the once-dead mech. Leanna slowly raised her gaze to the face of the robot, who was now looking back at her with soft baby blue opticals. Sure, he was still ripped in half and it was practically impossible that he was living, yet…there he was. He sat himself up a bit quickly and grunted a little as he turned his head back to look at the chrome femm.

"Las' thing I remember, I was fightin' Megatron…and got ripped half…" he paused as he looked down and groaned, seeing himself in pieces, "Aw slag! What in the name of Primus happened, ya'll?" He looked at himself again and turned to Leanna who was now just staring at Jazz with fright.

'Oh…my effing god…did I just bring the dead back to life?' Leanna thought, thinking that she would be as white as a ghost if she was human right now.

'_Yes…well, my dead, not your dead,_' the Allspark responded back, '_It seems as though you've triggered my powers to regenerate this _Jazz_, of which you speak…an odd sort of development…_' Leanna just watched as Jazz propped himself up and just stared at her. If an outsider was watching, it might have seemed somewhat comical with the silver bot's lower half still lying down while his upper half was sitting up and looking at the femm before him. She was scared out of her mind, which was really weird considering that turning into a giant alien robot hadn't freaked her out as much as this.

"'Ey…calm down and tell me who ya are," Jazz said, trying to control the situation as he saw the fear in her opticals, which were a dazzling white he had to admit. He scanned her a bit as she just looked at him, also admitting that she was one fine-looking femm…that is until she let out a scream of terror. It echoed through out the whole of the warehouses, alerting everyone to her discovery. Ratchet, Bumblebee, Optimus, and a silly-looking Ironhide rushed into the room. Ratchet had his saw out while Bumblebee had his blasters out. Optimus had his sword on one arm and the blaster in his other hand. Ironhide had forgotten all about the monitor that was hooked up to him and it was trailing along as he barreled into the room, looking ridiculous with the strange wires connected to him. But he made up for it with the cannons out hot and ready, looking around with crazy icy blue opticals. They eased up as they saw Leanna just sitting their with wide opticals. Soon, though, they also had wide opticals as they gazed at their lieutenant who was just sitting their with his silver hands on his audio receptors.

"In the name of Primus, what the slag was that for?" Jazz snapped irritably, rubbing his receptors with a pained and annoyed expression on his face, but instantly putting on his cool-guy smile as he saw the other mechs, "Wha's crackin'?" Ratchet was the first to go to him, followed by Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Optimus. Ratchet checked him and was astonished that he was alive, believing that Jazz had been damaged beyond repair. He took a quick glance to see Jazz's legs over yonder and then looked to his upper torso to find Jazz just chuckling a little.

"Don' ask, I don' even know," Jazz replied to Ratchet's amazed expression, "Ya think you can fix me up 'cause I don' plan on bein' legless forever, Ratchet." Ratchet nodded still thunderstruck and everyone piled out of the hangar after inspecting the live robot. Leanna just stayed in her spot, but eventually shakily got up and went to leave when Ratchet called her back.

"Leanna…what happened?" asked Ratchet, grabbing up Jazz's lower half while Jazz's upper half just grabbed on to Ratchet as he walked to the table, "We assessed that Jazz was beyond repair and now he's alive. I do not wish to be intrusive but I have to make an assumption that the Allspark had something to do with this." Leanna nodded and stood a ways from the table, Jazz unlatching himself from Ratchet to rest his upper body on the table, Ratchet setting down his lower half.

"I…I was regretting not having known him," Leanna replied hesitantly, "I imagined what his spark would have felt like…and I remembered yours when I tried to imagine his…" Ratchet looked up a little startled and almost dropped his laser, Jazz looking similarly startled and sat up to look at the chrome-femm. She seemed almost childish in that moment, looking down with her hands clasped down in front, fidgeting. Her white opticals blinked occasionally and her white hair was in front of her face, draping over her car-modeled chest, her curves shifting as she fidgeted. Leanna looked up and stopped fidgeting when she noticed both male Autobots stare at her and she looked down again. She didn't like the attention since it was pretty embarrassing.

"Well…and then I felt a weird pulse run down my arm and when I looked down…" Leanna stopped short knowing that they could figure out the rest and she looked up again and they were still staring at her, making her grow a little irritated, "That's the story, can I go now?" Ratchet nodded slightly, the silver femm walking out of the room a little irritated at the boys' behaviors. Jazz just laid back on the table while Ratchet again went to work on his body, though he couldn't do much. Ratchet sighed and scratched the back of his head before calling her back in, who had jumped since she was leaning against the wall next to the doorway that led to the sick bay.

"Now what?" she asked, again annoyed.

"I need you to help me fix Jazz…with the Allspark," Ratchet said, now a bit nervous and embarrassed, knowing that he couldn't fix Jazz in the state he was in, "Just…concentrate and perhaps you'll be able to mend his body back together." Leanna stared at Ratchet a little, then turned to Jazz who just blinked at her, awaiting her answer.

"Well…it's worth a shot," Leanna said, placing one hand on his upper torso and then one of the bottom torso, which caused Jazz to flinch, but stayed silent nonetheless. Honestly, both the medic and the lieutenant were attracted to the femm, but Ratchet knew his boundaries. After all, it was Ironhide who had fallen in love with her first, even before she was a femm. Jazz, on the other hand…

"So, pretty lady, you one of the first to come here or what?" Jazz asked, startling Leanna as he talked and broke her concentration. Ratchet inwardly groaned, if Ironhide were here…Ratchet made a mental note to tell Jazz the story as soon as this was over.

"Excuse me?" Leanna replied in confusion, but tried to return to focusing on connecting the urban-speaking bot.

"I know Optimus was gonna try contact other Autobots, jus' didn't know we was gonna have a pretty femm on our hands," Jazz explained a bit, Leanna blinked before shaking it off and returning back to her concentration. Leanna was a bit surprised that Jazz was hitting on her, but knew that he didn't know the whole story. She decided that she wasn't going to throttle the small silver bot…yet…

"So…what's yo name?" asked Jazz, smiling a bit. Leanna didn't respond, blocking him out and returning to the small conversation she was having with the Allspark.

'Sorry…I swear, if he keeps hitting on me, I'm gonna whack him upside the head!' Leanna thought angrily, the Allspark chuckling a bit.

'_So, getting back to repairing this…most confident bot,_' the Allspark spoke up, snapping Leanna back to her, '_I do believe that because we are connected, you have some control of my regenerative powers. You've already demonstrated it, but can you consciously control it?_' Leanna looked positively confused at this answer.

'_I see…you triggered my powers on accident when you brought Jazz back to life_,' the Allspark spoke, '_It was not on purpose, though I assume you know that or else I would not have sensed the absolute shock when he became on-line_.' Leanna gave a mental nodding.

'_Then you must learn how to use my powers consciously, try concentrating on melding him together only. Concentrate,_' the Allspark suggested, Leanna turned away from her mental discussion and her opticals, dimming during the conversation, turned back on to a full white, coming back to the sound of Jazz's voice.

"…So…I was wonderin'…since you're new an' all, I could show you 'round," Jazz had gone on confidently with Ratchet shaking his head behind Leanna. Leanna groaned again in her head with the feelings of amusement wafting back from the Allspark.

"Well…I may be considering it if you…just…be…QUIET!!!" she roared, finally snapping, Jazz instantly shutting up and Ratchet became startled again but smiled amused at the confused expression of Jazz. Jazz had always been a ladies man, but never before had he been yelled at by his targets of affection. She removed her hands and crossed her arms to hold her head with her right hand, rubbing the metal part between her eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry if I snapped at you, but if you want me to do this…it'd just be really great if you don't try to hit on me while I'm working, 'kay?" Leanna said with a small hint of sarcasm, and added, "Besides, I already found someone." Jazz was floored by this and seemed to ooze a small aura of sadness and stayed still and silent, making Leanna sighed a bit and feel a little guilty at getting off at him. After all, it wasn't his fault that Jazz didn't know the story. She placed her hands on his torso and again he flinched. Leanna took a deep breath in and focused, concentrating on the feeling of connecting metal and fixed wires. Ratchet was amazed at what he saw, as was Jazz. The wires under her hands were fixing themselves, reconnecting and then metal coming over and covering it. New metal grew over the missing areas and soon Jazz was looking pretty much repaired, but Leanna decided to make it up to the poor dejected mech and she concentrated instead on feeling smooth and clean metal surfaces, now running her hand over his chest lightly. Jazz tensed up, but relaxed as he felt his chest clear of rust and he was delighted to find his chassis clean. Leanna opened her eyes to see a completely clean and repaired Jazz, smiling a bit and stepping away from the table to let Jazz get off. He rocked back and used his hands to catapult him off the table, landing then jumping again to land on his hands and do a break dance move in joy.

"Aw yeah, here we go! Jazz's back and kickin' it!" Jazz proclaimed, after his break dance move, righting himself after. Leanna smiled and held out a slim chrome hand.

"Well, now that you're good as new, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Leanna, but you can call me Lea for short," Jazz took the hand but looked at her in confusion.

"Wait a minute…ain't that a human name?" Jazz contemplated, factoring the fact that she could almost magically repair him without even touching him and Ratchet's mentioning of the Allspark, "So…you ain't Autobot…" Jazz's shoulder armor slumped a little, to which Leanna became alarmed.

"No, I am! Well, actually I was a human, but, according to the Allspark, I'm staying an Autobot for about two years…sorry to disappoint you," Leanna said a bit concerned, "Well, I'm sure there are other femms…" She looked to Ratchet for support, but he offered none because she knew as well as him that those were some pretty slim possibilities. Sighing, Leanna turned back to Jazz, who had regained his composure and just smiled.

"Nah, 'ts okay, Lea. I'm cool, but I gotta know…you with Ratchet?" Leanna and Ratchet both twitched a little in surprise and looked at each other. Leanna at first seemed calm, but then burst out laughing, not able to contain it.

"No, it's not Ratchet," she laughed, but then noticed Ratchet's silence and turned to him, "But you are a great guy, don't get me wrong…" Ratchet shrugged it off and smiled casually, knowing that Leanna was Ironhide's anyways.

"No, Jazz, actually I'm with-" she was cut off when a high screech was heard and they all ran towards the outside, where Starscream was held.

"Foolish Autobots!" Starscream snarled, "You will pay for this!" Starscream was thrashing against his restraints, but didn't dare touch the energon-laser bars, which could easily slice through metal. Ironhide was growling a little and Bumblebee was holding him back, Optimus standing before Starscream and peered through the bars to give Starscream a cold glare of authority. Starscream hesitated a moment before again going on a rant about how they were going to pay for what they did.

"Oh yeah!" Leanna remembered, "I was wondering why Starscream attacked us, and how come you guys weren't here when he did?" Optimus and Bumblebee turned, the latter struggling still with the black mech.

"Sam and Mikaela had reported several suspicious looking vehicles, one with what looked like the Decepticon emblem on itself, driving in front of their house consecutively. We immediately went to secure their safety," Optimus reported, before turning back to Starscream, "And now we know that it was all a ruse so that you could sneak into our base. Tell me…how many recruits did you acquire?" Starscream just sneered, but as soon as Ratchet and Jazz stood out of the way and Starscream had rolled over a bit to the left of Optimus, he could see the source of the feminine voice. Starscream stared at Leanna, who gave off a light white blush, apparently a defect from the merging of human and Allspark.

"What the heck are you lookin' at, you asshole?!?" Leanna yelled at him, making everyone look back in surprise at Leanna, "You frickin' killed me, jack ass!" Starscream actually had to contemplate as to remember if he had seen this femm before, but then recalled the destruction of the Allspark and the girl that had thrown Ironhide into a blood-lust of rage. Starscream smirked.

"I was just thinking…" Starscream commented in a low voice, "How a disgusting flesh bag had become transformed into a dangerously beautiful femm as yourself…" Leanna's mouth snapped shut in surprise and the blush came up again, blinking her opticals before they became enraged again. Before she could say anything, however, a shocked Bumblebee accidentally let his guard down and Ironhide threw the smaller bot aside, flinging himself towards the bars, but Optimus luckily grabbed him and pinned him down.

"You slaggin' piece of scrap! I'm going to terminate you! No, release me!" Ironhide roared, Optimus keeping him pinned under his bulk, "Graaahhh!! Don't you dare talk to her! Don't you _ever_ talk to her you frag!" Jazz looked at Ironhide in question, then at Leanna and then it clicked.

"Aw, I see how it iz! Ironhide's yo' man, right?" Jazz remarked, Leanna looking down at Jazz with a small smile, "No wonda' why he so mad…but why'dya say Starscream killed ya?" Leanna told Jazz everything and Jazz nodded, everyone else listened in as well, even Ironhide calmed down a bit and listened to the story.

"Shoots…why'd Ironhide hafta steal the girl, huh?" Jazz complained, stretching after having sat down and listened to the story, "Well, if ya need a friend, Jazz's here for ya, okay?" Leanna smiled and nodded before walking over to Ironhide, Optimus getting off and helping Ironhide up. Ironhide stood before her and she smiled up at him. He was still taller, but at least she wasn't as small as one of his fingers anymore. He wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders and she giggled at his action, Ironhide giving Jazz a small warning glare for his comment earlier. Ironhide and Leanna stiffened as they heard an evil-sounding chuckle come from behind them and they turned to glare at Starscream.

"Hehehe…I can see some of her bare circuits…what a femm," Starscream teased, Ironhide snarling and was about to go at the bars but Optimus stopped him again and Leanna looked a bit confused.

"'Bare circuits'? What's he talkin' about?" Leanna asked confused, making Optimus look at Leanna and he gave a small nervous smile.

"When he can see your bare circuits…it is similar to him seeing you, as the humans say, naked," Optimus rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, having told her of it and she blushed furiously, Ironhide struggling to get out of the headlock Optimus had put him in.

"Oh…you…MOTHER-" now it was Leanna's turn to be crazy mad as she dove for Starscream who was chuckling. Again, Optimus grabbed the furious femm and she too was put in a headlock. She blushed as she tried to get out.

"Oh, just wait you piece of scrap, I'm gonna kick your titanium ass so hard it'll be like Armageddon! I swear it!" Leanna swore, her hands trying to pry off Optimus' arm off of her neck.

"Easy, you two, those are energon bars, remember? They will easily kill you if you go too near and touch them. Ignore Starscream, he is blowing exhaust, that's all," Optimus scolded them, dragging them over back to the sick bay, followed by Ratchet, Jazz, Bumblebee, and the other kids. Starscream held the smirk on his face as he stared down to look at her armored ass and gave a whistle just to taunt them more. Leanna looked back and then looked at what he was staring at and struggled even more, up to the point where her legs where propped up as if she was trying to jump off of him.

"LET ME AT 'IM, LET ME AT 'IM!!!" Leanna screeched, ready to throttle the jet, forgetting her earlier grievances for Ironhide's smack-down on Starscream.

"Calm…down…" Optimus said in a dangerous tone, having enough of the femm's rage and she instantly calmed, looking up at him in embarrassment.

"Sorry, sir, it's just…I had to deal with that when I was a human and to think I still have to deal with it now…it's just tiresome," Leanna sighed, putting her feet down and Optimus released her neck and she massaged it. She stood up straight and looked at Ironhide who was similarly putting a hand to his neck to assess the damage of his neck.

"Well…it's a Decepticon…just gotta ignore him right?" Leanna compromised, walking over to Ironhide and wrapping an arm around his larger waist and he looked down at her in surprise before putting his own arm around her shoulders.

"Yes…" Ironhide agreed, "If he wishes to keep commenting that my spark mate is beautiful, let him. I have the same opinion." Leanna gave a pleasant smile leaned into the small sideways hug and Ironhide gave a wider smile.

"Man, I should'a been built with a camera!" Jazz cried out, making the couple snap their gaze at him and glare.

"Well, it is indeed a shame that we do not have something to keep this image for Ironhide has a mission of sorts," Optimus mused, Ironhide and Leanna looking back at him a bit in despair. After all, this was the only time they had actually spent together as femm and mech.

"I apologize Ironhide, on behalf of Captain Lennox, but I believe that he will need protection. He has a family that doesn't know about us and the only one his wife and child recognizes. Lennox has already made up an excuse about how you have been found and that they're getting their truck back," Optimus explained, "If the Decepticons were willing to intimidate Sam and Mikaela, then it is logical to assume that Lennox may be targeted as well." Ironhide sighed a bit, but took the assignment. Optimus nodded in approval and told Ironhide that he would have to meet Lennox at the junkyard north of the base at sunset, which was approaching fast. Again, a sigh was issued and Ironhide proceeded in giving a quick kiss atop Leanna's head and then transformed, driving off and leaving a somewhat gloomy Leanna.

"Well…it was nice while it lasted," Leanna sighed, then went to her room with everyone looking after her walking form.

"…So you guys like her or what?" Sam asked a bit suspiciously, all the Autobots jerking a little in surprise and staring back at Sam. This confirmed Sam's theory, shaking his head and just wrapping his arm around Mikaela who shook her own head because Sam asked such an embarrassing question.

"I can't believe you just asked if they liked Leanna," Mikaela said in disbelief, "If she was hot as a human, she'd be hot as a bot. Besides, Sam, you just asked them if they liked the one female of their species. What do you think the answer is?" Sam looked at Mikaela in embarrassment this time, then up at his Autobot friends in apology. But what he saw there, he knew. Bumblebee was a bit shifty and avoided anyone's eyes/opticals and nervously rubbed his arm. Jazz was a no-brainer. Ratchet himself was silently contemplating and looked like he was indeed thinking about Leanna. Optimus…he was the hardest to guess, but he too showed some hints of sparks. Sam sighed…he wondered how Leanna was going to hold out with mate-seeking males, especially if Leanna was the only femm they knew now…even if she was only going to be a femm for 2 years. This worried Sam and Mikaela both even more, since they shared the same wave length…almost. If the Autobots wanted to mate with Leanna (I know, a bit animalistic, but she _is_ the only femm they know in existence…), they'd have to make their move on her fast. They fretted over the thought that their human-gone-Autobot would be swamped by the other mechs, but hopefully their desperation for creation wasn't as bad as needed be…hopefully…

* * *

chiv-id: Well, there hasn't been very reviews about whether everybody wants me to make a JazzXOC or BumblebeeXOC story next...(tears)

Leanna: I'm sure they'll review with their thoughts on it (turns to the readers)...you better review before I kick your asses, and you better review about the JazzXOC or BumblebeeXOC story.

chiv-id: (still tearing) And to think I already made two chapters per story. I don't want to put them out both at once...

Jazz: Fo' real! VOTE FOR ME Y'ALL! Jazz needs the love!

Bumblebee: Vote...Bumble...bee! (hard time trying to talk and hums in encouragement instead)

chiv-id: REMEMBER TO REVIEW FOR STORY!!! Reviews!


	10. Surviving the Week

chiv-id: Hi! I see lots of people voted for the JazzXOC so I'm working on the chapter as I type!

Jazz: Yo y'all, jus' wanna say thanks for you people who voted for me. Jazz need some lovin'!

Optimus: Alright, calm down Jazz, I'll do the disclaimer to get this started:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna's character.

Leanna: Okay, so on with the chapter since, I can't see Ironhide until after. Hurry up and type the next chater god dammit, I'm getting cranky without Ironhide!

chiv-id: O-okay, on with the chapter! (starts tying rapidly)

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 9: Surviving the Week

Leanna couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the little calendar Mikaela had got for her from Leanna's old home. It was only the second day, but she was already starting to miss the black mech. Sure, their relationship hadn't advanced further than that quick and simple kiss on the head and hug, but still…it was a bit gloomy around the big warehouses without her weapons specialist. She sighed again before jumping when she heard a knock come from her door.

"Come in, it's open," Leanna called out before turning back to the calendar.

"We're not officially big enough to open this door!" a voice shouted back, causing Leanna to jump off the recharge bed and run to open her doors to Sam and Mikaela. They smiled up at her when she opened her doors, and she let them in. Her room was clean and neat, with random posters and other human things that she had when she was human. She had Mikaela to thank for that.

"Thanks, Mikaela, you're a life saver," Leanna said, Mikaela fishing out the last item Leanna had asked for, a family portrait of her and her family when they were still alive. Leanna took this gently between her long and slender fingers and put them on the metal shelf that had been installed in the wall. She then turned to her friends who were talking to each other on the edge of the recharge pad and she sat behind them, smiling.

"So…what's up?" Leanna had asked, but was surprised as they stood up and looked at her seriously.

"Leanna, we're concerned," Mikaela said straight out, "Concerned for you."

"Why? There's nothing to worry about, Starscream's locked up and there are still about 4 Autobots here and I can kick ass, too," Leanna told them, putting her a hand on her hip in her sitting position and then flexing with her other arm in humor. She put her hand down though as she lowered herself lower to look at her friends at their level, who were still serious.

"Okay, what is it?" Leanna asked, confused.

"Leanna…do you realize that you could be the last Autobot female in the whole universe?" Sam questioned Leanna, who nodded her head dumbly, "And do you realize that you just gave away that there will be only one Autobot female in the whole universe for only two years?" Leanna sat up and nodded again, but was still confused.

"I know the Autobots, they're good guys, but I have to agree with Mikaela on this. For all we know, they could go haywire and try to mate with you or something!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his hands out like a little kid. Leanna was a bit shocked by this and just contemplated.

"So…you're saying…they might rape me?" Leanna pondered on this idea and actually dimmed her opticals as she put up a conversation with the Allspark.

'Is Sam right? Could the guys accidentally go ape on me?' she asked her parasitical mate, 'Would they rape me?'

'_No…I believe my children would not resort to such evil intentions…but…in the event that it does happen…_' the Allspark wondered.

'You've got to be joking…they wouldn't do that!' Leanna retorted in defense of the Autobots, whom she had gotten to known and liked.

'_Your human friend Sam is right. I have seen certain cases…where certain mechs have forced unsparked femms into procreation…but I do agree with you, I do not believe that they would do such a thing, especially these mechs_,' the Allspark reassured, but was actually covering up her own dreadful assumptions.

"The Allspark has told me that the Autobots wouldn't do something like that, so you don't have to worry!" Leanna reassured her human friends, who were still a bit apprehensive and Mikaela began chewing on her bottom lip a bit.

"Still…stay away from them until Ironhide comes back, alright?" Sam asked, Leanna sighing and nodding her gigantic head, "Okay, we'll be going now, see ya." They went and Leanna followed them to close her door, only to open it up again to a knock.

"What's happenin' girl? Optimus wants you to get some trainin' done considerin' you a Autobot now," Jazz greeted, "Even femms knew how'ta fight where we come from." Leanna nodded, forgetting her friends' advice earlier with a happy mood. It would take her mind off of Ironhide and she wouldn't be just laying around, bored to death. She followed Jazz, about the same size as Jazz, walking along side him. Jazz glanced over to Leanna.

"So…" Jazz said, trying to start up some conversation, "You know how to fight?"

"Yeah, took some judo, boxing, all that kind of stuff," Leanna replied, "I could beat all of the boys in my class when I was human…" Leanna frowned a bit when she talked about being human but wiped it off her face, not going by unnoticed by Jazz.

"But I guess I should still train a bit now that I'm like 28 feet tall or whatever," Leanna pondered, "Might throw off my balance…" Leanna kept wondering about her fighting while Jazz again glanced over to Leanna. He couldn't help it, those hips, the armor hanging so loosely about her bare circuits that he almost wanted to tear the-

"And…you're looking at me because…?" Leanna poked him back to reality as she poked his head, Jazz instantly turning his head back forward and swallowed a nervous reply. Ironhide would kill him if he tried anything! Yet…Jazz couldn't help but feel absolutely ready to spark when he was near her. Jazz led her outside where Bumblebee was wrestling with Optimus, easily losing to his leader.

"Bumblebee…just because I am your leader doesn't mean you should go easy on me. I know you can do better," Optimus encouraged, again throwing his opponent down.

"I…sorry, sir," Bumblebee gave out, giving a low whining sound in apology. Optimus laughed a little as he put his hand on Bumblebee's shoulder.

"It's alright soldier, go back to Ratchet now, he should be ready to fix you again," Optimus pushed Bumblebee along to Ratchet who was indeed prepped to work on Bumblebee's voice vocal capacitors, "Leanna, good, I was hoping to see the extent of your abilities to fight."

"Pff, of course I can fight!" Leanna scoffed, crossing her arms and jokingly taking a stance to look like she was offended, "I bet I could even take you on!" Bumblebee seemed to jerk his head her way at the comment and Ratchet again whapped Bumblebee on the head as he moved, causing the laser to bore a small hole in the ground. Optimus chuckled, Leanna now taking a real offended stance.

"See Bumblebee? She has confidence," Optimus looked back with a small smile at her glare, "And I have no doubt that she can fight well." Leanna stood up a bit in surprise, but she smiled back at his compliment. She did a random back flip and then ran forward towards him, easily jumping over him by grabbing his head and shoving it down. She then landed on the balls of her feet and swiftly twisted around to rapidly attack his knees and he collapsed with her hand wrapped around his neck and her leg twisted around his own leg to trap him, bending him back with surprising strength. She smiled in triumph. Optimus himself was a bit surprised, but retaliated.

"Eager to start, I see. Well, if you insist," Optimus shrugged a little, but twisted his own leg from hers in a flash and swung her down on the ground by grabbing her arm and flipping her own her back. She landed with a grunt and shut her opticals in pain, but recovered quickly and she planted her left foot on his chest and used her arm as leverage to fling him over her. Now he was on his back.

"Yes, I do insist," she retorted, and she freed her arm as she slammed her foot down on his chest and he himself grunted. She back flipped again and she jumped, about to land on him but he moved out of the way and her elbow connected to the ground instead. Jumping up and ignoring the pain in her elbow, she circled her big opponent, Optimus doing the same. They circled each other until they suddenly clasped their hands together and wrestled, occasionally dropping to the ground and rolling around. Leanna was honestly just enjoying the thrill of doing something normal again, if you consider wrestling another robot in a giant bot royal normal. Jazz watched the two dance in their display of power, amused and in awe at the same time. Bumblebee himself stared at them out of the corner of his optical, Ratchet often having to look up every time a grunt or a groan was heard. Finally, Optimus landed on his back heavily and she pinned his hands above his head, having to sit on his chest to keep his hands there and pinning his upper torso with her legs firmly planted in the ground, effectively straddling him. Optimus was too tired then, his legs struggling to get to reach up and unhook her arms, but failed and his legs fell to the earth with a loud thump. They were both panting and Leanna held a triumphant smile.

"See! I told you!" Leanna shouted in happiness, "You give?" Optimus was still panting heavily, but nodded. She let go of his hands and she smiled atop his chest. Optimus was breathing heavily which made her rise on fall on his chest, and she too fell back and ended up on his stomach. Starscream, who was still outside, still tied up, chuckled at the sight, Optimus actually turning his head to not look at Leanna's body on top of him in embarrassment.

"Hmph, I see she's getting comfortable," Starscream snickered sarcastically and Leanna looked up and blushed, realizing what he was talking about. Rolling off, she landed on her stomach on the left side of him; Optimus' head unfortunately turned to the left from before and caught a good optical-full of fine armored ass. Again, Optimus turned his head.

"Sorry," she said, blushing still and she rubbed her head as she laughed nervously, "That was a good match though, right?" She drew herself up and she sat on her legs, turning her head to the left all the way to the look at Optimus while her back was still to him. He turned and nodded before sitting up and rubbing his neck.

"I must say, I haven't had a fight like that in a while," Optimus commented, Leanna beaming up at him, "Well, I suppose that means that you don't really need any training, as you have demonstrated." Leanna stood up and stretched, helped Optimus up, and then bounded over to Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Jazz, a smile on her face.

"I beat Optimus! How about that?" Leanna giggled, sitting next Bumblebee, who was sitting with Ratchet standing over him and fixing his vocal cords. Bumblebee couldn't really move, but he smiled a bit before giving a small whine in pain as the laser passed over a certain cord. Leanna looked up at Ratchet with a small frown.

"How come you gotta work on his chords with him still awake? Don't you have something like anesthesia or something to put him to sleep so that he doesn't have to feel the pain?" Leanna questioned, giving a concerned look to Bumblebee.

"I'm sorry, but I do not have anything that can keep him from feeling the pain…he'd even feel this while in stasis or was offline," Ratchet apologized, wincing when Bumblebee whined again as smoke rose from a small part of the chord as it seared together to another part in repair. Ratchet stood up and sighed, rubbing his hand over his head. Bumblebee coughed hums and whines, turned a pained smile to Leanna but still coughing. Leanna pressed a hand to his throat which caused Bumblebee's breath to hitch in his throat and he coughed a little harder. Frowning sadly, she felt sorry for him and she stood up.

"That's all for today," Ratchet sighed, the yellow medic's laser retracting back into his arm, "Well Leanna, did you get injured severely?" Leanna shook her head, but her body disagreed with her as a few sparks flew from her shoulder, the one that was connected to the arm that she had used for leverage to fling him over in the beginning of their wrestling. She laughed nervously, rubbing her head again, a small habit.

"Well, maybe a little…could you look at my arm?" Leanna asked, holding out her left arm. Ratchet nodded with amusement in his opticals, taking her and sitting her down. He carefully removed the armor that was on her shoulder with a demagnetizing tool in his arm, scanning the arm and making a few repairs here and there with his laser, only earning a slight twitch when he pinched a few wires together to test their strength. He had to admit, her metal skin was just as he had remembered from the first time he saw her, like liquid mercury. Finally done with her shoulder, he placed her shoulder armor back on and she smiled up at him in gratitude. His spark seemed to twitch a bit at the smile, but he pushed it back. His morals told him that Ironhide was expecting his spark mate untouched and Ratchet wanted to keep it that way. Optimus was having the same feelings, he felt for Leanna, just a bit, but he knew that his old friend Ironhide was more important than his own attractions. Jazz was wavering, Bumblebee was as well, but he also knew his morals. Again, she stood and stretched and flexed. She turned to smile and she trotted over and got into a fighting stance, bending her fingers, beckoning one of them to come up and go against her. Jazz smirked and took the challenge, walking over and also got into a fighting stance.

"I don't go easy on nobody," Jazz warned, but was almost knocked off his feet when he heard and saw her reply.

"Oh, I don't expect you to," Leanna smirked herself, but got out of her stance and instead decided to use her femininity against the easily seduced-silver bot, "But I'm guessing that you might." She stood with her legs spread out a little and she bent down a little, putting her left hand on her thigh and she winked, beckoning with a finger. She giggled at the expression, having played this trick on so many boys before when she was human.

"Like you don't want this," Leanna teased, after just getting up and flipping her hair, her hands on her hips before getting back into fighting stance, "Well?" Jazz was floored again, just stood there staring and his processor working so hard that it was threatening to make him to go offline. Leanna had just acted so sexy, it wasn't even funny. His opticals wide open with his mouth down low; he managed to get into a somewhat dazed stance and shook his head a few times to get over it. The other mechs were also amazed by the display of tease and seduction, Optimus and the others with their mouth pieces open comically.

'That was too easy,' Leanna thought, 'These guys definitely have not been around females of their species for a long time…' The Allspark chuckled in the back of her mind.

'_Well, if you didn't act so provocatively, maybe you'd be getting more of a fight out of this one_," the Allspark retorted amused, Jazz still kind of out of it, '_My, my, you sure know how to charm them…_' Leanna smiled at the conversation and then returned to find Jazz suddenly running towards her, instantly flipping over the bot. She twisted her body to connect a foot to his back before landing, making him stumble before regaining his balance and he turned to her. Leanna smiled again and circled him, just as she had with Optimus, Jazz following her lead. Leanna and Jazz then began using a series of fists, easily matched, they threw each other back after a sever punch to their faces. Leanna was panting a bit again, Jazz wiping a fist across his face to wipe away the energon leaking from his mouth. It was a pretty good fist fight; Leanna had to admit as she wiped away the energon from her own pretty face, which actually healed itself up, with the help of the Allspark. Leanna then ran and jumped, trying to deal a roundhouse kick to his head, but Jazz caught her foot and swung her away, causing her to land on her hands to go into a shock-absorbing roll. Her foot hurt a little, but it was a minor problem, she ran towards him again and jumped, but instead of trying to kick him, she instead dodged his grasping hands and plowed into his stomach with her shoulder, causing him to fall back with her fall and she got off as she saw that his opticals were dimming due to his stamina being drained. She helped him up and offered a truce as she helped him get back to the side lines. She decided that it was because she had just repaired him and that he probably needed more rest. Optimus and Bumblebee decided to go at it again and it offered a reprieve for Leanna, who was tired, but happy. She lowered him to the ground and his opticals turned off, so she assumed that he went offline. She rested her hand on his arm and acknowledged him as a good sparring partner.

"That was a good match, man, too bad you went out on me too fast," Leanna regretted, patting his arm while Ratchet assessed the damage on Jazz. She suddenly felt an odd tingling sensation run up her arm. It was like small fires were running up her arm all the way to her spark and it felt good. She blushed and recoiled, pulling her hand away and her CPU began rapidly beating in response, spark jumping.

"What the…" she said softly, Ratchet looking at her and he scanned her. Finding her flushed state, he looked to Jazz and whapped the supposedly off-line bot, turning him back on.

"'Ey! What was that fo'?" Jazz whined a bit, rubbing his head and Ratchet looked at him a bit suspiciously and shrugged in the way a kid would when they were caught, "Okay, okay, I won't do it again, fo' real, 'kay?" Leanna looked at Ratchet in question, who explained the sensation she felt. It was spark energy, energy that bots exhibit when they want to display their affection or attraction for one another. Misunderstanding the "affection" part, Leanna beamed and focused a little bit and pushed a little spark energy to Jazz who was surprised but pleased.

"No, I mean he wants to mate with you," Ratchet said, which earned Jazz a whap on the head from Leanna. Leanna stretched a little more and yawned, smiling at Ratchet.

"I'm turning in a for a little, that was a good tussle," Leanna felt the ground tremble as she turned around to find that Bumblebee had actually gotten Optimus on his back, "Way to go Bee!" Bumblebee looked up in surprise and smiled, but let his guard down and Leanna muttered a small 'ooh' and a wince when Optimus grabbed Bee's head and threw him off and then body-slammed him. Shaking her head a little, she went away to go take a rest, this was going to be a long week if this was all she was going to do.

Meanwhile, Ironhide himself was bored as he felt the woman in his passenger's seat lean over and try to calm the child that was damaging his audio receptors, the little girl crying because Lennox had forgotten her teddy bear apparently. Lennox had apologized secretly to the Autobot as he went back to get her stuffed animal. He was pretty sick of this job, despite having gotten used to watching over the humans in secret.

'I wonder what Leanna's doing…' he had to wonder, remembering his spark mate.

"Will? Will! Honey, she's getting really upset," Mrs. Lennox yelled, trying to calm her daughter who was squirming and crying even louder. Ironhide blocked it out with the image of Leanna, gleaming white and smiling at him. He sighed as he came back and the girl had finally calmed down, the brown stuffed animal in her arms and she had fallen asleep. Lennox climbed in and took them down to the lake to have a picnic. It was extremely boring, but he was glad for the peace. At least that meant that he didn't have to worry about Leanna being attacked, since it would probably be a distraction just like last time and he wasn't going to be there to protect her. Water splashed his grill momentarily startling him, the little girl annoying him to no ends, but holding a small place in his spark as she went up and hugged the grill, cooing happily. She waddled away and he sat back on his shocks.

'Leanna…I hope that you are alright,' Ironhide thought, thinking about her again.

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chiv-id: Okay, I hope you liked that chapter, had a little more sex appeal I know, but I'm having less and less brain storms, so sue me!

Jazz and other Autobots: (stare from actions in chapters)

Leanna: chiv-id...stop them from looking at me like that...it's a little creepy...

chiv-id: Alright, but I just wanna wrap up with this little tidbit: "I will post the Jazz story when there is approximately 75 reviews on this story!" Thank you! Review if you want that JazzXOC story peoples! Bye! (Leanna inches away from Autobots with them following...)


	11. Don't Fool Around With Ironhide

chiv-id: Okay, just as I promised on my new "Driven To The Edge", JazzXOC of course, I updated this chapter next! Oh, and if you didn't know, I also put up my other story, "A Diamond in the Rough", an OptimusXOC for the person who was bold enough to mention the leader in a contest that had nothing to do with it. I salute thee!

Leanna: Okay...well, I don't like this chapter, but might as well get this over with:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own my character...just read the damn thing...

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What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 10: Don't Fool Around With Ironhide...

Leanna was wondering if God had made the week seven days long to torture her. She looked up at her calendar. It was the fifth day, which meant that there were still two more days and one more night until Ironhide came back from his assessment of the Lennox family. She laid on her recharge bed on her stomach, her legs up as she was looking at a large screen, surfing the web on the abnormally large computer that the Autobots were so kind as to provide for her. Actually, every Autobot had a computer in their rooms as well, but they had set it up for her so that she could use it when she was on the recharge bed instead of on a desk, seeing as how they put her in a completely empty room. She was looking at pictures of black GMC Topkicks, just like her Ironhide, and smiled to herself as she remembered the day that she had given him a car wash. It had been a while ago, but she had to admit that the bot was really a "knight in shining armor" that day. She powered off the computer and she flipped over, looking at the calendar that was above the computer upside down.

"I need to get out of here," she moaned to herself, getting up and looking at her boring room. She stood up and opened the door and she entered the sick bay where Ratchet was making some more entries on his computer. She couldn't help but smile evilly as she quietly made her way over to him, tip-toeing to make sure that she didn't disturb him. Then, when she was right behind him and she said "boo".

"Ah!" Ratchet yelped, "Primus, who, what…Leanna! You scared the bolts off of me!" Leanna just giggled and she smiled sweetly, asking forgiveness with her opticals. He sighed, masking the butterflies in his stomach and turned towards her.

"Yes, Leanna, what is it?" Ratchet asked, finally taking a break.

"I was wondering if I could take a drive…but I think it'll be a little weird for a car to be driving itself," Leanna hinted at her favor, "Is there anyway I can…you know…perhaps make a copy of myself or something or make a guy pop out of my wheel like in 'Men in Black'?" Ratchet looked at her a little strangely, having no idea what "Men in Black" was.

"A hologram is what I believe you are trying to ask," Ratchet guessed a little confused, "And you would like to 'take a drive'? Why?"

"I've been cooped up in this place and I'm sort of bored, even with all of the wrestling," Leanna replied, "I wish I could just, you know, zoom around, get some fresh air." Ratchet pondered on what she said and nodded a bit in understanding.

"I see. Well, if you'd truly like to know, I will show you," Ratchet consented, and he walked outside. She followed and pointed her head up as Starscream stared at her again and made sure that she was far enough away that he couldn't see around her armor.

"Hello, femm," Starscream sneered sarcastically.

"Hello, mech," she sneered back, flipping him off before walking away.

"Well…that was interesting," Ratchet commented, a raised optical ridge making Leanna rub her head nervously.

"Tch, just a stupid Decepticon bastard, that's all," Leanna shrugged, "Now, how about that lesson, huh?" Ratchet nodded and stood still, concentrated. She blinked in surprise as a bright beam shot out of his opticals and lighted an area where a transparent man stood. He looked somewhere around his mid-20s and he had dusty yellow hair that was fixed up in a respectable manner (think doctor-ish…). The man was wearing a light-yellow, almost tan lab coat with a grey polo shirt underneath, a black belt securing the black slacks, which slightly hid black lab shoes. He fixed his glasses and looked up smiling and suddenly became non-transparent.

"This is my hologram. I scanned this form on the internet, looking for a suitable form and came upon this person, modeling as a medical unit of your species," Ratchet commented, his voice transmitting through the person instead of his own vocal cords in his bot form, "I believe that you'd like to have a hologram of your previous self, right?" Leanna nodded her head as she squatted and poked the hologram. It didn't go through and she felt it, the being actually being pushed back. She was astonished.

"Wow…I can feel it," she murmured in awe, poking it again and the man looked up a little annoyed.

"I am not a toy," Ratchet's hologram protested and Leanna looked up and noticed something a little odd. Ratchet's opticals were dim and he only half-heartedly went through his motions as he transformed.

"I see you've noticed the change," Ratchet told her, turning to go into his vehicle self, "I control my other body through this one. I am still connected, but most of my concentration is with this body, to hold it together." He opened the door and he slipped inside waving and smiling up at Leanna.

"Now you try," Ratchet encouraged, getting out and it deactivated, fading away and he transformed again, only his opticals were back to their full Autobot-blue.

"A'ight, but that's some crazy shit, right there," Leanna said astounded, and she concentrated, her body mate receiving Leanna within the recesses of her mind.

'_Aahh…Leanna, it is nice to talk with you_,' the Allspark greeted, '_Is there another matter troubling you again_?'

'Nah, just tryin' to concentrate on making a hologram…hey! You want me to make a hologram of you?' Leanna offered, knowing that the Allspark must be even more bored. The Allspark considered the proposition as Leanna concentrated, having a little trouble as she awaited the entity's response.

'_If you can, I may consider it_,' the Allspark accepted, Leanna inwardly beaming. She concentrated hard, her mind imagining her old self, hair, eyes, skin, everything. She then imagined the form that the Allspark had come to her in, the spiky silver hair, the little antennas on the side of her head that stood up whenever in surprise, and most of all, the black visor that hid the little two twinkles of white opticals. Leanna felt herself actually transfer from her mechanical to her artificial body as she opened her eyes. It was as if she had turned into a dust and was floating down to be collected by the shell that awaited her below. Blinking, she looked down and saw herself as a human again, only transparent. She looked through her hand as she brought it up and looked through to see a surprised Ratchet. She smiled and then looked behind her to see her form swaying gently as the opticals dimmed.

"I commend you on a job well done, but…who is that?" Ratchet's gaze was zeroed in on something on her right and Leanna looked to her right, seeing the Allspark girl. She was just as she had remembered her the day they merged.

"Um…" she wondered if Ratchet would accept that this was the Allspark, "She's…my body mate. Ratchet, meet the Allspark!" She threw her now human arms in a dramatic fashion to the figure on the right, who looked around after standing motionless for a second. Then looked at Leanna and she gave a small smile.

"_Thank you my dear_," she spoke, a beautiful metallic voice rising from the hologram's throat, "_I have to admit, this is a lovely hologram, but if you wish me to go with you, I'd suggest a little less conspicuous form_." Leanna nodded in embarrassment, realizing that the Allspark girl couldn't go out looking like she was a being from another planet. She concentrated again as the beams shot out of her mechanical self, beaming another form to her. Leanna had been surfing the web a lot and she had seen a lot of girls posing on GMC Topkicks (much to her displeasure), and she picked one out that seemed suitable for the girl. Her hologram blinked in and out as she changed and the Allspark looked herself over after the change. She had become a dazzling dirty-blonde beauty, bright green eyes shining as she smiled, looking over herself, slim pale hands sliding over her hips. She was dressed in a tight black skirt, her pale long legs stretching out under with nice black heels. She also had a red halter top, encircling her neck with a slim string.

"_Very interesting_," the Allspark commented, "_I am pleased with this form_." Leanna smiled and she mentally sent a message back to her metal shell and her bot self turned into her customary Camero form, both girls climbing in.

"Thanks for the lesson Ratchet! See ya later!" Leanna called, driving away with Ratchet smiling and waving after them. Then his smile fell as he forgot to tell her the other important facts about hologram-ing. The holograms did have a limit; about 200 yards to be exact, any farther and the holograms would fizzle out. Boy, wouldn't that be a roar, one minute she's there, the next she vanishes! Can anyone say 'abra kadabra'? He'd get a load from Optimus if it happened, so he transformed, putting a hologram in his driver's seat and drove off after her.

'I'm such a frag!' Ratchet thought, 'If she loses her holograms…there's going to be some major problems!' He drove after her quickly, but he had no idea where she'd be going and so he was searching everywhere for her. He certainly couldn't call her because she hadn't been installed with a com-link, and he didn't have a tracking signal on her either…this was going to be a long day. Meanwhile, Leanna had gone to the beach, and she was just sun tanning.

'It's…just so great to be able to feel the sun…' Leanna thought, having converted her hologram to have a bathing suit on. Leanna was wearing a white tie-on blouse with a light blue bikini on, a white skirt completing the outfit. The Allspark girl was next to her, sun tanning in a black and red bikini, no blouse or skirt, the bikini the same colors as her previous outfit.

'_Yes…I see why you humans enjoy going to this…_beach_ so often_,' the Allspark girl replied back with her own silent message, stretching a little. It was then that a few boy beach goers approached them and they were smirking. They stood over the girls and Leanna opened her eyes behind the sun glasses that she hologram-ed.

"Hey…what's blockin' the sun?" Leanna asked, before getting a better view of the boy that was in front of her, "Ack! Jesus, you scared me!" She sat up quickly and put a hand over her heart, glaring a little as her glasses fell down to the bridge of her nose.

"Uh, sorry babe, but mind if I lay here wit' you?" asked the tall African-American, lanky and reminding Leanna oddly of Snoop Dog. She eyed him warily as he took a seat next to her, his navy blue board shorts fanning out as he sat down.

"Name's Dell, Rubin Dell, but everybody call me Dell," he said, introducing himself, "Homie's name is Nick Harwin...and he just likes Nick." He motioned to the white, sort of buff dude sitting next to the Allspark girl. Nick was eyeing the Allspark girl with a smirk, flexing a little to get her attention. Leanna scoffed mentally, earning a snicker from the Allspark within the recesses of her mind.

"And my name is Leanna, but call me Lea for short," Leanna replied, being courteous and introducing herself, "And my girl's name is Alana." Leanna had randomly picked the name, but hoped the Allspark would pick it up and all she earned was another snicker from her mind, the Allspark nodding with a smile as she turned and flipped her hair. Leanna stretched a bit and smiled over at Rubin.

"So…_Dell_, what brings you to the beach?" asked Leanna, half-predicting his answer and smiled when he said what she thought he'd say.

"Why, all the beautiful ladies…such as yourself," he replied, making his move and slipping an arm around her shoulders, "Ain't that right Nick?" Nick copied his friend's move and slipped an arm around 'Alana's' shoulder, smiling broadly.

"Yeah," Nick answered not paying attention, "So, Alana, you wanna be my girlfriend?" Alana giggled, Leanna also giggling when Dell slapped a hand on his forehead as he saw his friend ask so soon.

"Dog! You don't just ask," Dell scolded, and then turned to Leanna, "Gotta treat 'em like a lady, ya dig? After all, they so fine and everythin'…" He turned to grab her left hand with his right and brought it up to his lips in a sort of cheesy-prince-moment-type thing. Leanna wanted to punch this guy right upside the head, but she denied it as she giggled to get him on his good side.

"That's right," she said, leaning in after he dropped her hand, close to his hair and she felt him grin, "That's what I have a boyfriend for…" That was a shocker, tensing up and realizing his mistake.

"Ah, sorry, thought you were available, uh, gotta go!" Dell said, embarrassed, getting up and walking away.

"So…you have a boyfriend, too?" Nick asked, a little on the slow-side and Alana smiled and nodded and pushed him away, getting up with Leanna and they walked away. Nick was a little dumbfounded and just sat there staring after them, Dell having to return and pick up his friend.

"_That was fun…may we trick more human men? And is this what you humans call…a cat-and-mouse game?_" 'Alana' asked, smiling broadly as she flipped her hair again, capturing more eyes.

"No, this is called 'playing with emotions'," Leanna replied with her own devilish grin, "Now watch the master." Leanna looked around for a suitable target and found a young man suitable enough, staring at her and then blushing, looking away as soon as he found her looking at him. She smiled at the youth and winked at the Allspark girl, Alana, and walked a little seductively. She knew he was watching her and she moved to untie the skirt that was wrapped around her legs.

'See, the object of this game is,' she thought-spoke to the Allspark, 'To get men to fall for you, but to reject them. Don't do it too much, because then you'll be considered a bitch and a man-eater. Just do it once in a while. So after this, I'm gonna stop.' She untied the skirt and she looked up at him, the guy blushing full on as he saw her creamy coffee-colored legs, her most intimate part covered by her blue bikini. He gawked and just stood there, not even bothering to look away.

"And now we leave," Leanna whispered to Alana secretly, "Don't worry, he'll come to us." With that, Leanna looked up as if someone had called her, putting the skirt back on, and grabbing Alana so that she wouldn't be left behind. She was going to the far end of the beach when she heard a boy yell. She turned around smiling as she saw the boy come to her, only a paltry 15 years old.

"Hey, uh, mind-mind of I come with?" he asked, panting and blushing fiercely.

"Sure, but you might have to watch out for my boyfriend, he can get pretty aggressive," Leanna warned and the boy's face fell and he walked away, telling her a 'never mind'.

"_Hmm…that was not very nice…_" the Allspark said, looking at Leanna disapprovingly. Even Leanna was beginning to doubt her decision.

"Yeah…that was a little harsh I guess…after all, the kid's only 15," Leanna wondered, "But he looked 16 from far away…oh well, just have to forgive and forget, right?" The Allspark shrugged as they looked at the poor boy, kicking some sand dejectedly and Leanna sighed.

"Oh well, might as well make the kid happy," Leanna moaned a little, not really wanting to go, but felt the guilt press down upon her like a rock and it was squeezing her soul…that or the Allspark was starting to get testy. Leanna walked over with an approving Allspark, tapping the boy on the shoulder.

"But, you know…" she said, the boy's face lighting up, "My boyfriend's not around, so you wanna hang out?" He nodded and took her arm, his head coming up to her eyes. He told her his name, Carlos, and she introduced herself and her own friend, Alana.

"Hey Alana," Carlos replied happily, "So, mind if I introduce you over to my friends?" She nodded her head with a sweet smile and he pulled her over to his other friends who just stared shocked at their friend's "score".

"Hey guys, check out my girl!" Carlos smiled broadly and squeezed her ass, making her jump and squeak. The Allspark was laughing her ass off since seeing Leanna being man-handled was pretty funny. Leanna glared, but then gave another squeak as he grabbed her again. Now Leanna was starting to get angry.

"Kid, hands off the ass or our little 'relationship' is over, got it?" Leanna gritted her teeth and Carlos backed off with a gulp. The guys began laughing at him and he glared back, but smiled and rubbed his head.

"Uh, sorry, hormones?" he ended the statement with a squeak, making it sound like a question, "Well, thanks for hanging out with me I guess…" He turned to walk away to his laughing comrades, but she felt sorry for him.

"Hey," Leanna said, and he turned around, long enough for her to plant a small peck on his cheeks with a long 'ooh' and howls coming from his friends, "You're a good kid…but stay out of trouble and don't let your 'hormones' get to ya, okay?" She winked and he was blushing profusely still, nodding and running over to his friends who were ruffling his hair and slapping him on the back.

"You know, I never was this lenient with kids before until you came along with the Autobots," Leanna mentioned before turning away with a secret smile on her face, but her face dropped as she turned to see someone…or _something_ familiar. Unfortunately, Captain Lennox and his family happened to be traveling to the beach today and they had taken Ironhide. There he was sitting in the parking space next to the little rock barrier, having a first row seat and looking down upon the beach goers when he had spotted Leanna…

_Flashback_

_"Daddy, daddy!" the little girl had cried, her pudgy hands reaching out for her father as he took her from the baby's seat in the back of the GMC Topkick. She gurgled happily as she was taken away and Lennox swung her around a bit before kissing her on the forehead and putting her down to be led away by her mother. He took the beach stuff out of Ironhide's truck bed and he smiled a 'thanks', knowing that Ironhide had to sit in the parking space where it had virtually no shade. Ironhide snorted a bit, but decided to take a bit of a 'snooze'. He was about to power down when he saw something he thought he'd have to wait two more days for._

_'Leanna?' he thought, wondering why she'd be here of all places instead of at the base. He saw her human form and instantly recognized it as her hollow, scanning the local area until he saw the silver Camero. He turned back to see Leanna untying her skirt, showing a boy her thighs and her legs, the human boy instantly jumping after her. Ironhide was a bit confused, what was she doing? He saw her reject him, then she went after him after talking to her friend. His spark seemed to twitch a bit as he saw the impudent human boy taking his spark mate over to his friends, then promptly squeezing her ass. Oh, now he was pissed!_

_'What the slag is she doing?' he roared in his mind, instantly turning on his hologram. He wasn't too good with it, but he could at least put a form on it. The hologram came out with a mad face, blue eyes that were narrowed with dusky black hair falling over his eyes, looking like he was either in his late 20s or early 30s. The hologram had a black T-shirt on and regular jeans, a bit buff, but nonetheless a pretty handsome fellow._

_"Lea-?!?" he was about to yell out her name, but all that came out was air as he saw her bend down and kiss his cheek, winking at him. Then she turned around and he stood there, shocked. He didn't know the game of women, and he certainly didn't know that she was just being sympathetic with the poor youth. Leanna spotted him, but looked around to see his truck mode and she frowned a bit. _This is where the flash back ends…

End Flashback

'Oh jeez…that must _not_ have looked good,' she thought, walking up to the stairs that crept up the rock barrier and up to the parking spaces above. She was about to walk around the man that was staring at her creepily, but she stopped as she found his eyes. Icy blue…tinted with red and turning purple around the edges. Leanna knew this look and there was only one person…or thing…that had ever had that kind of look.

"Ironhide…" she breathed, realizing that it was his hologram. She stood there, staring at him from the stairs, he looking down on her. His eyes were narrowed and he stood there with clenched fists.

"Ironhide, back there, that kid-" she was a bit surprised at his demeanor, thinking he'd take it a different way, but not this way.

"I am your spark mate!" he hissed at her, "Why have you chosen a human boy over me? Is it because I am not human? Is it because you want to have a human mate when you go back to being human? I loved you when you were still human…before you were _ever_ a femm…" He looked down and closed his eyes, scrunching them up in anger. When he opened them, he looked at her with fierce purple eyes.

"I realize now that taking another spark mate was futile. Leanna…" Ironhide was building up to say the dreaded thing that she feared him to say, "It is over. We're through. Go back to your human mate, human!" She felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Ironhide! Let me explain, I was just-" again she was cut off as the boy from before, Carlos unfortunately had walked up and grabbed her arm.

"Hey Leanna! Mind if we go waaalll…holy crap…" he muttered, staring at the angry Ironhide. He felt totally intimidated by Ironhide's stance and flaming purple eyes. He felt as though he was going to piss himself from the sheer intensity of his look.

"Uh…I guess that's you're boyfriend…uh, I'm gonna be going now…" Carlos quietly stated, squeezing her arm in apology, but Ironhide took the action differently. Carlos jumped as he snarled and ran away, tripping and falling flat in the sand before crawling away in fright. Leanna was going to speak again, knowing how it looked now was really bad, but she had to say something before it was too late.

"Ironhide…please, let me explain, that boy, what you saw was-" she was whispering as she had said this and winced when he yelled at her. Ironhide was now more than ever certain of Leanna's actions between her and Carlos.

"I know what I saw! It is over between us human, I no longer claim you as my spark mate and I deny any affection…if you had any to begin with…you give to me from her on forth. The connection is broken," Ironhide proclaimed, getting back into his truck form and his hologram disappeared. She stood there, shell-shocked. She was trying to speak, but words wouldn't come out. Leanna had just been fooling around…he didn't know that…so she couldn't blame him and get back at him, but still…

"Ironhide, you have to hear me ou-" Leanna was finally shutting up after his engine roared, making her fall flat on her hologram-ed butt, wincing from the pain, but the tears weren't from her virtual posterior. She felt something much worse. Leanna now understood what he meant by the connection being broken, she couldn't tell what he was thinking anymore and she felt a large hole in her spark/heart, as if a perpetual darkness and cold had swept over her. She shivered and looked up with pleading eyes, but his wheels turned menacingly towards her, as if to run her over.

"…" she was silent as she got up, her shoulders slumped as tears fell freely from her eyes, getting the message. The Allspark girl had heard the whole thing through Leanna, but had decided not to step in. When she felt Leanna's emptiness, she instantly got up and ran towards her, catching Leanna running away, tears falling rapidly from her eyes. The Allspark saw her run behind a van where no one could see her, her hair whipping out behind her. She walked behind it too, embracing her body mate as both of them dematerialized, the Chevrolet Camero slowly turning its engine on with a sluggishness that was unfamiliar. Ironhide had heard the Camero driving away silently, yet quickly, but didn't bother to do anything. It almost broke his spark to do that to her, but what he saw was what he saw.

'She traded me like a common piece of scrap…I can never forgive her…' Ironhide thought firmly, reassuring himself despite the emptiness he felt within his own spark, still misunderstanding the situation. With Leanna's actions towards the innocent boy on the beach, she had heard him deeply, more than any cannon, gun, sword, or missile could ever do. It was already night fall when Ratchet was driving along the outer rims of the state, curious when he had heard a soft crying. He saw an off-road exit and took it, hearing the crying come from there. Ratchet stopped in his tracks when he saw a sparkling chrome-femm shining in the moonlight. Her shoulders were shaking with a smaller version of her, the Allspark in hologram-form he had guessed, comfortingly patting her leg in her miniature-human-sized form. Her long white hair had draped over her trembling figure, encasing her in white as the moonlight reflected off of the pure ivory metal.

"Leanna?" he asked softly, transforming. She looked back in surprise, as did her counterpart, Leanna's eyes showing neon blue tears streaking her beautiful face. Ratchet was alarmed, neither Autobots nor Decepticons had ever cried and to see energon leaking from her face was disturbing.

"Did someone damage your opticals?" Ratchet asked oblivious, "Come, we must take you to the base and repair it. I'm sure Ironhide would have my head if-" She suddenly bawled louder and it startled him even more. Leanna was shaking like a leaf with her crying, her metal tarnished and dull where the energon tears had fallen or trickled. Ratchet then compared the time she had cried to the time now and realized his mistake.

"I am sorry Leanna, I thought you had been damaged. We do not normally cry. What is troubling you?" he sat down cross-legged, patting her back.

"I-ron-hide duuummmpppeeeddddd mmeeeee!!!" she cried, sobbing and making her breaths short. Ratchet was a bit shocked by this, but still was a little confused. He searched the web, found out what it meant, and he was even more surprised.

"But…he is your spark mate…why would he abandon you?" asked Ratchet, wiping away a few tears from her face to get a good look at her. She managed to calm down a little and tried to explain, but was extremely too hard due to her continuous crying. She eventually gave up trying to speak and just laid down on the ground, her tears staining the grass an odd blue. The Allspark instead retold the story, walking over and sitting by Leanna's massive head and stroking Leanna's face. After, Ratchet shook his head and sighed a bit.

"He never was one to listen…" Ratchet remarked, Leanna's sobs now quiet, "When he comes back the day after tomorrow, I will talk to him. That, or I could get Optimus to talk to him. Ironhide couldn't refuse Optimus, even if he was being a little hot-headed." Leanna nodded slightly and buried her face into the ground, a bit saddened because she couldn't actually feel the soft earth shifting before her face.

"Now, we must return before Optimus mobilizes Bumblebee and Jazz to look for us, Primus knows that he's been on edge ever since Starscream came," Ratchet chuckled, "And I've still have lessons for you on hologram-ing." Leanna nodded into the ground slightly again, but she wiped away the dirt as she sat up and smiled a sad smile. Her little smile showed a lot of hurting, but also much hope.

"I'd…I'd like that…" Leanna choked out, wiping away some more tears, "Let's go…" She transformed and she followed Ratchet as he led her back to the base. Unfortunately, the tranquil drive home was disrupted as Ratchet was contacted by Optimus over the com-link.

"Ratchet! Where in Primus' name are you?!? We're under attack!" Ratchet's circuits froze as he heard this and put up his sirens, Leanna alarmed and zoomed up next to him. She projected the Allspark's hologram so that she could drive still and through the Allspark, she found out what had happened. The Allspark was sitting in Ratchet's driver's seat and conversed with the yellow bot.

"_What has happened?_" the Allspark said urgently.

"We're under attack, and I believe it's because we took the Decepticons' leader. With only three Autobots there, I'm sure that they're having a tough time fighting against them. Last time, we had the element of surprise and both Optimus and I are experienced fighters. Even with Optimus, Jazz is still recovering slightly and Bumblebee is practically a sparkling in Cybertron's terms. We have to get there as quickly as possible, if they free Starscream, there will be trouble," Ratchet responded, his engine roaring as he pounded onward to the base.

'_Did you hear everything?_' the Allspark asked Leanna, her hologram disappearing and now she was back within Leanna's mind.

'Oh yeah, well, at least they don't expect us coming, huh?' Leanna thought back, her own engine growing as the two Autobots found their base under attack. Ratchet and Leanna transformed, sneaking up to the foliage that surrounded the abandoned warehouses they used as their base. Leanna's spark roared in fury, seeing her friends being shot at. Bumblebee was fighting, but was losing, two bigger mechs advancing and shooting where he stood, as if trying to make him dance. Jazz was getting tired, his opticals blinking out once in a while as he threw aside one opponent only to be grappling with another. Optimus was faring the best out of the three, but even he was taking a few major blows now and then. Leanna, had she not had her hand over her mouth, her vocal processors would be screaming out harshly as she saw Starscream being freed and he plowed into Optimus as he was fighting another mech, Optimus landing on his chest as Starscream tacked him from the back. He restrained Optimus' hands behind his back as the other mechs dog-piled on him and held him there, more than a few holding their cannons pointing at the leader's head. Jazz's opticals completely blacked out and the mech he was grappling with caught him oddly as he suddenly fell forward with the off-line lieutenant. Bumblebee looked at his leader and ran towards them, only to be shot in the back with a cannon and he toppled, falling forward with his hands outreaching for his leader and his comrade.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Autobums! The so-called legendary leader, Optimus Prime, and his soldiers, Jazz and Bumblebee…is this all the Autobots can really dish out?" Starscream grinned maliciously, shaking his shoulders to shake loose parts that were half-fried from Ironhide's assault earlier that week, "It's a shame your other soldier, that Ironhide wasn't here. I would have taken him apart piece by piece for what he did to me. That coward, I bet he ran away…" That was it, Leanna was gonna blow a fuse it wasn't going to be pretty. She struggled against Ratchet's grip, holding her back, but when she turned her opticals to him, her white holding a heated glint, he nodded a bit with uncertainty. He let her go, but motioned her to make it silent and they both crept up behind the force of Decepticons.

"And that pretty little femm…Leanna, was that her name? Ah, it doesn't matter, we'll be taking her for…_personal_ reasons," at this the other Decepticons snickered as they heard the word, "So, where is she?"

"Right here, sleaze bag!" she yelled, jumping up over the heads of the other Decepticons, an amazing leap that had her above the leader's head as she thrust forward her foot. She smirked as she felt a certain crunch under her titanium foot, her target spinning slightly before hitting the ground with a loud boom. Leanna landed gracefully, in a crouch, but stood up with her opticals flashing dangerously with her form shaking with rage she had worked herself in. They were a bit intimidated by this at first, but eventually decided to try and take her out, roaring as they moved forward. The first one foolishly just stampeded toward her, holding a cannon out in front of him as if it would protect him, shooting at her.

'_Hold out your hand, my dear, I had something installed while we were at the beach…_' the Allspark whispered into her head, Leanna nodding. Her hand reached out as she grasped the energy blast within her palm and was practically giddy as she saw her hand transform and look something like a lacrosse stick. The recruit was stunned and skidded to a halt, staring at the energy blast burning brightly within her morphed-hand.

"Bet ya you weren't expecting that," she said to him, the mech nodding dumbly as she flung it back at him, catching him in the face with full force and it knocked him on his back as it demolished his face.

"Come on, who's next?" she dared, her hand retracting and she held a fighter's stance. They were now a bit deterred by the femm, occasionally looking at their fallen leader and then at their mauled comrade. The recruited sparkling Decepticons didn't want to end up like either, but just as they were about to turn tail, they were met with a whirring blade as another ally was mowed down, literally. Ratchet's blade hung out on a chain and he had whipped it at the mech's head. The recruit's head seemed to spark for a moment, then slid off, landing with a sickening thud as his body stood for a moment, but then fell on its knees and then to the ground. They stared at the homicidal medic, who was now looking at the condition of his leader and his friends.

"Release them," he seethed in a tone dripping with hate, his blade whirring, "NOW!" The Decepticons who were watching the whole thing from the back of the Autobots who were being held down jumped off and joining the masses, trying to worm their way to the middle where they thought they'd be safe. Optimus nodded in thanks to Leanna, then to Ratchet, Leanna rushing over to Bumblebee as she saw his back smoking.

"Those of you who surrender now may live yet another day," Optimus declared, the Decepticons turning to look at the leader, respect and fear running through them, "Those of you who wish to fight will fall as your leader has fallen." The Decepticons were looking at each other nervously, but then had a bit of a suspicious smirk on their faces. Optimus' optics narrowed at this and his sword was appeared with a loud grate. The Decepticons' faces didn't waver as the leader came towards him. It was then Optimus realized that there was an odd whooshing sound coming from above. He saw a completely purple-grey AH-64 Apache helicopter before he felt a heavy net come down upon him, struggling a bit as he realized that it had caught on his sword, the only thing that could possibly cut the thick steel net. The Decepticons had jumped the other Autobots, but Leanna had managed to run away before they jumped on her and Bumblebee and was fighting a few more mechs. Ratchet was giving a bit of a fight as well, but being on his chest made it hard for him to pull out his saw, especially since his saw would cut his own back if he tried. Starscream was being pulled to his feet, slowly regaining consciousness, but stopping his men as he was about to be dragged onto the massive helicopter Decepticon.

"Grraab the femm," he slurred out, all the Decepticons, except for the ones on the on-line Ratchet and Bumblebee, turned to Leanna who blanched whiter, if that was possible, when she realized they were talking about her. She had finished off the last, but she realized that she was caught as she tried to remove the hand that she had impulsively stabbed through the recruit's gut.

'Oh shit, not good!' she thought, her hand caught on something inside the heavy mech and her strength was dwindling, falling down with the mech on top of her as she failed to get her hand out of the recruit. The Decepticons smirked as they went over to her and quickly withdrew her hand from their dead "friend", leaving him there in his own pool of energon as they put all their attention on the femm. She was beautiful and they were certainly going to enjoy having one around the base…

"Get the fuck off of me! Let me go or I swear I'll tear your heads off!" she spat, getting into a hissy-fit, struggling in the grasps of her captors. Her hands were placed behind her back, a strong and tall bot behind her keeping her hands there, smirking at her and bringing her to the leader. Starscream indicating slowly to put her in the helicopter first, then they pushed him, Starscream landing face down between her legs which were somewhat cross-legged. Leanna would have kicked his aft if her hands and legs were free, but was satisfied with lifting her legs and pushing him away. Inching, or "footing", away from the subconscious leader, she leaned against the door and glared at Starscream, who was smiling with an evil grin.

"I actually liked that position," he managed to get out, Leanna's opticals widening as she pressed herself closer to the door, as if she tried to squeeze herself into the frame. Being bound meant that she had no way to protect herself and she certainly didn't want him there again. He crawled somewhat over and reached out with a claw, closing it around her shoulder painfully and dragging her back over to him, laying on her with her back to him. She felt like she was going to cry as he groped her, his claw running over her armored ass and then up to the armor on her chest, her sports-bra-like armor shifting slightly under his weight.

'Ironhide…' she whimpered as she thought this, tears finally falling. Meanwhile, Ironhide had finally reached the base, the Decepticons fleeing as soon as their leader was safe with the femm and the Autobot leader had freed himself from the net.

"Optimus…" he panted, bent over on his hands and knees since his truck form wouldn't allow him to beyond the foliage surrounding the base from the behind, "I…got here…as soon as I heard…and what the slag happened?" He saw Ratchet tending to a smoking Bumblebee who was looking down sullenly, Jazz off-lined face down a little ways from him. Optimus sighed and rubbed his face a little.

"We were attacked. The Decepticons managed to get their leader back…and they took Leanna…" Optimus mentioned, Ironhide's opticals wide a bit.

"…" he didn't say anything, which surprised the leader. Optimus had expected at least an outraged cry, a call for a rescue, anything! But, no, not a word was heard from his old friend. Ratchet came over after assessing Bumblebee, who would live.

"Ironhide, you need to know what happened. Leanna told me everything. And if you won't hear it from her, you'll hear it from me," Ratchet told Ironhide firmly, Ironhide glaring at him, then looking away.

"I already know what happened. She-" Ironhide was about to explain it to Optimus when Ratchet blew a fuse.

"Primus Ironhide!" Ratchet cried out, advancing forward and getting in Ironhide's face, "Listen, for once in you slaggin' life! Leanna was pitying the boy and she was teaching the Allspark the ways of women! She kissed the boy because his friends were laughing at him and she took pity! That is the way with human women, they are soft-hearted!" Ironhide was a bit stunned by the news, Optimus equally stunned by the normally calm Ratchet, looking between his two soldiers.

"What is going on?" he demanded, separating the two before they brawled.

"Ironhide foolishly turned Leanna away, claiming he wouldn't be her spark mate after her little act of sympathy on the beach earlier today," Ratchet huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the black bot who remained silent, "…Didn't know the whole story because he was being hard-headed as ever, you stupid frag!" Again, Ironhide didn't have single thing to say, only took off…marching off the way the helicopter took off.

"And again, being hard-headed," Optimus agreed before dashing towards Ironhide to pull him back and this time, Optimus got the approved reaction as Ironhide struggled to get to the spark mate he had denied foolishly.

* * *

chiv-id: Sorry, had to put this in sometime...

Ironhide: BRING HER BACK BEFORE I GO KICKIN' DECEPTICON AND HUMAN AFT!

chiv-id: I don't have an aft...

Ironhide: ...Shut the f up...

chiv-id: 0-0 Oh...my...god...did you actually use a human swear word?

Ironhide: ...

chiv-id: ...well, uh, moving on! Reviews please, and if I get enough I'll put up some more chappies! 'kay? If you don't, I'll be dealing with a Leanna-less Ironhide far too long and I might not be around to make anymore chapters... (edging away from rage-induced Ironhide) Reviews!


	12. My Hero

chiv-id: Yay, another chapter done! I hope you all like this one, because I've been working my ass off on this one!

Leanna: Finally, another chapter, I do not wanna be with these assholes anymore...

Starscream: Shut it femm!

Ironhide: What'dya say to her, you piece of scrap! (starts fighting with Starscream)

chiv-id: Hey, quit it, I don't want energon on the carpeee...oh great...too late...great, now one of you get me a new carpet while Leanna does the disclaimer.

Leanna: Fine:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own my original character. Okay, now read!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 11: My Hero

"We need to get her!" Ironhide shouted for the umpteenth time before Ratchet managed to turn him off-line, throwing a wrench at the black bot's head. Ratchet sighed, scratching the back of his head. He picked up the wrench beside the bound Ironhide, his head slumped over on his shoulder and it had quite a few dents in it from the previous wrench-throwing actions. Ratchet looked at his wrench and ran a hand over the now slightly bent wrench, walking back over to Bumblebee.

"I swear, if he comes back on-line saying that, I'll have to find a heavier wrench…" Ratchet grumbled, working on patching the hole in Bumblebee's back, "I'm beginning to think that telling him Leanna's story was a bad thing." Bumblebee couldn't help but chuckle as Ratchet kept mumbling to himself, but became silent as he thought of the silver femm, standing over him and helping him, which led to her being off-guard.

"Ugh…what the frag happened? One minute we was gettin' attacked, next I'm in the repair bay…" Jazz had woken up, running a hand over his head.

"I believe you off-lined in the middle of the battle. Your body hasn't sufficiently recovered, so your abilities, in this case your stamina, isn't up to what it was previously. Your body just gave out, Jazz, nothing to be ashamed of," Ratchet gave, Jazz groaning in embarrassment. Then he looked around, Jazz noticing that someone was missing.

"'Ey…where Leanna at? Haven't seen that femm since last morn…" Jazz asked, all the Autobots keeping quiet and at that moment, by some random chance of fate, Ironhide on-lined and groaned.

"Ratchet, you throw that wrench at me again, I'll shove it up your aft…" Ironhide groaned, turning to look at the medic who just shrugged off the glare of the black bot, "Optimus, when are we going to get her back?" Ratchet held the wrench up again in warning, Jazz's opticals going wide with shock.

"They took Leanna?!?" Jazz yelled, "Ah, Primus, we gotta go-" Ratchet threw the wrench at Jazz this time, off-lining him.

"I do not need anymore mechs telling me how we need to save her. That has already been established," Ratchet said firmly, going over and dragging Jazz back on the table he had been resting on before, "And Optimus has already informed me that the rescue is tonight. If you want to be fully operational by the time we go to get her, I suggest you stay still and let me work the kinks out of your head." Ironhide nodded, grimly satisfied and laid back in his restraints. Optimus was sitting at the medic's desk, looking at the files that had been registered on all the Decepticons. Bumblebee, being the brilliant scout that he was, had all the information in his processor, from before their time on Earth. Downloading every last bit, they had every single possible file on each Decepticon and their allies. Optimus was scanning now for the strange purple-grey helicopter that had dropped the net on him, knowing that it was most probably a veteran just as Optimus was. Finally, he found a bot that matched the color scheme of the helicopter, a mech by the name of Shockwave. Optimus studied the Decepticon, learning what he could before the rescue mission, so as not to be caught unawares by the huge Decepticon again. Meanwhile, Leanna was awoken rudely by the jeering of the male Decepticons.

"Hey femm, nice aft," called one.

"Come over here and we can spark, baby," another said, in an odd Mexican accent. The cat calls and the hoots and howls were getting pretty annoying. The night she had been put in the energon-laser barred cell, she was tormented by her captors with the constant prodding and poking, randomly being taken out, then thrust back in whenever Starscream happened to be walking by, only to be taken out once more. It was when Starscream stayed in the room for a long while that everyone left. For once she had been grateful for the evil mech and fell into a fitful sleep…that is until she was awakened by said mech early in the morning, after he dismissed the other bots.

"Hello, _Leanna_, may I ask if you slept well," his voice a purr, mocking her. She yawned and stretched like a cat, glaring at the jet from behind the bars.

"Screw you," she managed to mumble before attempting to sleep again.

"Oh, do you wish for me to?" Starscream smirked, again taking the role of the perverted bot. Her eyes shot open as she saw the bot staring at her so closely through the bars.

"Oh god, what's wrong with you?!? You perverted bastard!" she cried out, scooting away and glaring at him, "Jeez, and I thought _human_ men were pigs!" Starscream just laughed at her and stood up from his kneeling position.

"Please, it is an honor that you even caught my eye, femm," Starscream told her, walking over to the monitors that were placed around the room. She glanced over to them, realizing that they were linked to cameras which had the whole place covered.

"Starscream," a deep bass voice resonated through out the room, "Shall I relieve you of your position?" Leanna turned an optical to the bot and recognized the Mustang Saleen mech that had tried to mow her down a week or so ago.

"Yes, the femm's getting on my nerves…" Starscream said haphazardly, making her glare at him, "Do not touch her, I'm warning you Barricade…she's mine." Starscream looked at her with narrowed red optics and she blanched again, shivering under his glare. He smirked and walked away. Barricade turned from his leader and walked over and sat in a giant metal chair. He seemed to be working on something, not even paying attention. Leanna wasn't offended or anything, since most of the mechs who had "watched" her were mostly trying to feel her up through the bars, though most ended up with burns for their efforts. She was just curious.

"Uh…so…" the black and white mech snarled a bit as he looked up, "What is that you're working on there?" He just gave another small snarl, but as he turned, she caught a glint of silver metal dangling from his claw. She moved to one side of the cage to get a better look and saw a practically dismantled Decepticon, albeit a small one. Its head was almost gone, save for one optical, and his body was disheveled and it looked as if it was going to fall apart. For all of Barricade's tinkering, he surely could not put this "humpty-dumpty" back together again.

"Trying to repair something there?" she asked, being a bit nosy.

"Yes, now stop asking me before I blow your fraggin' head off!" he snapped at her, turning to glare at her, then go back to his work.

"I…I could help, if you let me out," Leanna reasoned with the temperamental Mustang, "I promise I won't run away…just don't wanna be in this cage anymore, you dig?" She honestly wanted to be out of the cage, it was suffocating her! The bot was silent for a second before getting up and walking over, carrying the body of the trashed Decepticon a bit tenderly.

"You will fix him?" Barricade asked, "How?"

"Well…if you don't tell anyone, and get me out, I'll fix your…er…buddy there," Leanna bargained, knowing that if he really wanted his friend repaired, he'd have to do as she said. He snorted, but reluctantly turned off the laser system, opening the door. She walked out, bending her neck and then stretching up on her tip-toes. The cage was cramped, the reason why she had to flex like a cat before.

"I'm apart of the Allspark, you happy now?" she told him flatly, putting a hand on her hip while she flipped her hair. He took the news with a blank look and almost immediately shoved his comrade into her arms.

"Yes, fix him, now," he grunted, Leanna taking the bot from his arms and holding him like a baby almost…a headless baby, she thought.

"Okay, then, just wait a sec would ya?" she snapped back, concentrating and sending energy pulsing through her arms and Barricade watched as his friend's head began building upon itself, growing metal and another optical to form a head. The body shone with a new luster and the bot gave a little "vrrt" when he started up.

"_Barri-Barri-Barricade!_" his companion screeched out in Cybertronian, jumping from her arms and landing on Barricade's chest, "_Barricade!_" She couldn't help but smile at the cute scene, the little bot crawling up his chest and settling at his shoulder, next to his neck, almost like a cat. The smaller mech was affectionately putting his head next to the crook of Barricade's neck and Barricade actually made a small smile, petting the silver head of the little one.

"So…" Barricade looked up at Leanna, "You guys…uh…brothers or something?" Barricade pondered a bit and looked at the small Decepticon.

"He is similar to what humans call a 'brother', but we are not related. He is my partner," Barricade responded, "His name is Frenzy…" Frenzy looked up and gave a happy trill and spoke rapidly in Cybertronian. Barricade responded and it sounded like metal gnashing together, Leanna sitting down on the chair that Barricade had sat on before. It was actually layered with what seemed like velvet and Leanna admired the fabric, ignoring the two chattering partners. She then felt something climbing her leg and found Frenzy, his claws catching on her legging and propelling him forward to sit on her lap.

"Uh…hi little guy," she greeted friendly, taking a closer look and found the little bot oddly and irresistibly cute, "Oh, you're kind of cute." Frenzy was a little offended, but was instantly purring as Leanna stroked his head and under his chin like a pet. Barricade stood before her and watched carefully. After all, the person who gave life could just as easily take it away.

"Well, Frenzy, my name is Leanna," she said softly, withdrawing her hands and the little bot blinked his optics in the absence of her fingers, "And I suppose I'll be getting to know you for a little." She found it almost unbelievable that she'd be here with the same bot that had tried to kill her before and she had just repaired his friend. Why'd she do that again? Her question was answered a bit differently than she had expected. Frenzy cocked his head and then scuttled forward on all fours, putting a small claw on her stomach and cocked his head again, leaning forward and looking at her. It was just too cute! She giggled as he curled up on her stomach, tired for some odd reason.

"Oh, you are just too cute!" she repeated vocally, picking up the little thing and cuddling, making the black and white mech glare at her a little. The little mech didn't mind the affection and purred against her, muttering a little less quickly in Cybertronian. Barricade's gaze softened just a smidge and he walked over, sitting on another chair.

"You know," she commented, "I didn't think I'd be here with you in the same room when I was being chased by you before." Barricade was confused by this and looked at her a little strangely. She then explained the mall incident, telling him that she was the human. Leanna had to go through how she got meshed with the Allspark before she got Barricade to understand. He nodded his head a little.

"Hmph…didn't think I'd be in the same room either," he admitted, holding out a claw and Frenzy looked at it before slipping away and climbing onto the out-reached hand. She pouted a little as her cuddling buddy was taking away, but she shrugged, stretching in her seat again. She felt immensely tired, still a bit traumatized over last night's events. Barricade noted this and went over and picked her up, bridal style.

"Ack, Barricade, what are you doing?" she asked, panicked and hoped no one saw.

"Shut up femm, I'm putting you back, you need rest," Barricade grunted, shifting a little as he carefully ducked and put her in the cage. She laid down comfortably and he put the lasers back on, but Frenzy jumped off and slid through the bars. She was laying down on her left side, her face towards Barricade and Frenzy, smiling as she saw the bot wiggle its way through and it was prancing over, snuggling up to her chest.

"Well, well, aren't we affectionate…" she remarked, putting an arm around the cute little bot, crooning as she rubbed a finger along its head. Barricade could only watch as he saw his partner snuggle with the femm, happy. He sighed and stood at the entrance, having given orders to Frenzy to hide if anyone else came in. After all, no one had known that Frenzy had survived.

'_Such a small specimen…_' the Allspark commented, Frenzy curled up and sleeping contently next to her.

'Which is why it's so cute,' Leanna shot back, making the Allspark give a wave of amusement that rolled throughout Leanna's head. She smiled, wondering how a Decepticon could possibly be so cute or so small. Barricade was having a little inner turmoil himself. He hated humans, but this one, the one who had fought back, was a femm now…and a tantalizing one at that. He watched his partner smugly snuggle with the unsuspecting Leanna, Barricade feeling a small twinge in his spark at the act. He knew Frenzy was only showing friendly affection towards the bigger bot, but it still was an odd feeling. Barricade knew she was Autobot and sighed, wishing that he could have a spark mate as beautiful as she was…not to mention as gutsy. Barricade watched the two for a little more before he stood up and took his position by the door way, making sure no one got in. Unfortunately, his so-called "leader" took his sweet time and it was practically almost an hour before night fall when he came back. Frenzy immediately awoke at the sound of Starscream's heavy footfalls echoing through the room. He was glad for Leanna's hair because it meant that he was hidden from view.

"Barricade, wake your sorry aft up!" Starscream yelled at him, Barricade's head snapping up from his position, having slumped against the door way since it took Starscream so long to get back. He half-heartedly saluted the commanding officer as he walked in, seeing Leanna curled up in her position. Frenzy waited until Starscream turned to his partner as he quickly crawled away and hid behind Leanna, covering himself with more of her hair.

"You have not touched her I hope. Or else…" Starscream questioned, Barricade shaking his head. Nodding in slight approval, he was tired of having to torture all the newer recruits from the previous nights. He turned a grin at Leanna and he waved Barricade off, Barricade nodding, but turned a worried optic to Leanna, hoping Frenzy would be all right. The Mustang left, Starscream walking over to Leanna and then turning off the lasers to give a loud clanging as he back-handed the cage bars. Her body twitched and then she moaned a little, her opticals turning back on to their full white.

"Barricade, what're you…" she was about to ask, but when she found the intolerable pervert, she stayed silent and glared. Frenzy actually had to move quickly, not knowing when the leader would turn the lasers back on. He slipped away by moving behind her body and silently crawled through the bars, darting behind pillars and odd piles of junk before reaching the doors and climbing into Barricade's open claw.

"So…femm, tell me," Starscream asked, turning away and grabbing something, "What is it like to have that power inside of you?" Leanna stayed silent, but her optics widened at the sight of what he had in his claw. An odd-looking device, it had two hooked ends, like prongs, curving up ward cruelly ending with small metal balls. The base was perpendicular to its opposite ends, several small buttons on the joy-stick like end. Starscream smirked mischievously, pressing a button and the balls began sparking like crazy with weird blue energy.

"What…the _fuck…_is that?" she asked, a bit horrified at the machine.

"Oh, you'll find out shortly enough…" Starscream told her with an evil grin, approaching the cage again. Leanna stood up quickly and backed towards the back left corner of the cage. She was cornered, but at least she'd be able to fight back when he came for her. Unfortunately, he did something unexpected. Flipping the switch for the lasers to come back on, she yelped as she felt the burns. Leaping forward, she unknowingly landed in Starscream's hand, closing around her neck and dragging her out before shutting off the lasers again. He shoved the machine into opening between her chest armor and her arms (i.e. her armpits), straddling her and holding her wrists down with his knees. She struggled, but yelped again as she felt a painful surge of electricity course throughout her entire body from the machine.

"How is it that you managed to survive? And how did you merge with the Allspark after your death?" Starscream questioned, earning a snarl from Leanna, still struggling and using her knees to get at his back. He growled, feeling one of her knees strike his lower back, then the other in rapid succession.

"Enough!" he yelled at her, driving the tool in his hand further into her body and pressing another button, releasing a greater volt of electricity that had her screaming. She moaned slightly and her head turned to one side in exhaustion after he released the hold on the button of the machine. Starscream paused for a moment in his torture to look at Leanna. It had been a while since he had tortured femms; in fact, it was rare for him to have to torture one. Her breathing was ragged and her face was flushed, her cheek plates white instead the normal chrome, abnormal for femms or bots. Her chest and stomach were rising and falling with her breath, he could feel it under his legs and his pelvic area. His temperature levels rose, getting slightly "turned on" by Leanna's pain, but ignored it, wanting to know the whole picture.

"Tell me, or I'll do it again," he warned, bringing his face close to whisper in her audio receptors, earning a glare. She struggled some more, kicking, screaming occasionally, but Starscream kept giving her wave after wave of electric currents that singed every sensor and wire in her body. Finally, Starscream's energon levels and temperature were reaching core level and he got off, Leanna's writhing and moaning was getting too much and he couldn't concentrate.

"We'll finish this later," he told her, throwing her back in and going away to cool himself, getting outside and flying around to feel the cool breeze bringing his core temperatures down. Frenzy hanging above the doorway, calling his companion when Starscream left. He jumped down and landed on Barricade as he entered, Barricade kneeling as soon as he got to the cage and looked at her. Leanna's body was sparking in several places, her wrists somewhat bent a little in the torture, body twitching to each sparking protest within her.

"I admire you for your bravery, or foolish stubborn will if that is what you have," Barricade told her, standing up and turning off the machine that generated the burning lasers, "But more of this and you just might off-line for good." Leanna didn't respond, but just kept twitching, her optics off. He slipped Frenzy in, just to inspect Leanna in case Starscream had gone too far. Frenzy gave an odd whirring whine, placing a hand on her forehead, then retracting it as the electricity ran up his arm and he gave a small yelp. Frenzy reported that she was alright, just off-lined for a while.

"As I said, you might off-line for good if you keep this stubbornness," Barricade told her, "Yet, you have stood up to Starscream and that is something I will always admire, the slaggin' pit head." Barricade exited, satisfied that she was at least still alive, but stopped as he heard an odd rumbling. He looked up, seeing the ceiling give off some strange dust, creaking as if something was walking out it above. It was when he heard the famous saying that made him turn and head back towards Leanna.

"Autobots, attack!" Optimus had cried out, blasting his way through the ground to get to the underground base. He landed on a few as they assembled under the hangar that led to the surface above. Ratchet quickly jumped through, Jazz landed gracefully, Bumblebee rolling as he fell, Ironhide being Ironhide and just dog-piling immediately with his cannons on top of a few rookie Decepticons, aiming while he was falling.

"Primus, he's gone nuts…" Jazz muttered after knocking a smaller Decepticon to the ground, Ratchet turning to see Jazz looking at a battle-crazy Ironhide just shooting everything in plain sight and crashing a few bots' heads together. They shook their head, but at least he was taking out a good majority of the numerous Decepticons. Starscream was still flying about, which was the reason why Optimus and the gang had spotted the base. They arrived at the odd Decepticon signature, somewhat weak, yet large and they found the jet zipping away out of the ground, a hangar closing the doors to the underground base. Barricade quickly deactivated the lasers once more and took Leanna out as the Autobots and the Decepticons rumbled. He shook her awake quickly.

"Wha…what?" she asked, dazed and disoriented, a spark jumping from a joint as she brought a hand up to her head, "Ow!" Barricade scoffed at her little proclamation of pain and led her by hand to a secret corridor, accessing it through a key code and his Decepticon emblem, dragging her into his special room.

"Wow…an inner sanctum," Leanna remarked, starring around while Barricade flipped a few switches and a wall rotated, revealing some sort of object under a giant cloth that was pinned to the other side of the wall. Leanna looked at Barricade in question, but as he took off the cloth, her optics went wide and she felt her energon run cold. A giant silver mech with armor that looked like it could rip you in shreds was mounted on the wall. Its optics were dark and the metal surrounding the spark looked as if it had been melted off, leaving a dark hole where the spark had been.

"I require something else of you…" Barricade rumbled, coming up behind her and pushing her a little to move in front of the colossal being, "Revive my true lord, Lord Megatron." She looked up, still in awe of Megatron, his head bent down as if he were reigning over something. She had heard a few tales of Megatron during her few days at the Autobot base and she knew this was the guy that had ripped Jazz in half. She certainly didn't want the guy to be alive, and she was certain that Jazz didn't want him alive either or any Autobot for that matter.

"Uh…sorry, but…no," she told him, turning to look at Barricade and almost laughed a little bit. Barricade was already kneeling, Frenzy at his side, as if to wait to receive their master and that Leanna would obey their command. Of course, she'd laugh if the situation was a little different, but knowing that they were serious, she kept a straight face.

"Barricade…why do you want Megatron to be back so badly?" she asked, Barricade looking up in surprise and outrage. He snarled, his good guy side gone, now his bad guy side was taking over. He leapt up and grabbed her chest armor as if he were grabbing her by the collar of a shirt. He slammed her between the legs of Megatron, then lifted her up and carried her over to the left side to slam her again. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but Barricade was pretty strong despite being one of the smaller models of Decepticons. She then decided to strike back and she shot one of her legs up, hitting the Mustang in the chin and sent him reeling, releasing her from his grasp. Holding his chin, he growled and attacked back, tackling her into the wall and causing it to turn. She felt the wind get knocked out of her and she saw the heating up of a cannon in the darkness of the other side of the wall. And when she saw what was on the other side, she felt that if she didn't win, the Autobots might be having some more trouble coming their way. There were small piles of wrecked mechs; she could see a helicopter blade in one pile, a turret of a tank in another. Each pile had a head sticking out, their optics shut off, but she knew that if Barricade managed to force her to bring every single one of these Decepticons alive…the war between Autobots and Decepticons was pretty much going to be one-sided. Starscream had brought only rookie recruits, sparklings one could say. But these guys…they looked like they had lots of experience, and probably would make a huge comeback. A tussle of skill and agility versus strength and experience began in the secret room, because whoever won would ultimately decide the fate of the outcome of the war. Meanwhile, the Decepticons were making a pretty decent stand, despite both experienced mechs Starscream and Barricade being gone. The Autobots practically had to fight at least 10 minutes just to get a foot!

"Autobots, take cover!" Optimus had yelled, quickly sliding behind a giant metal crate. The other Autobots did the same, taking cover under other sturdy objects as Shockwave released a huge blast from his giant two Cybertronian-custom-built guns, transforming into a giant turret and was firing at the Autobots. One blast caught the side of the crate Optimus was behind and he was blown back as soon as it hit the crate. Instantly, the Autobots were returning fire while Ratchet made his way over to Optimus who sat up and was shaking his head to get the flashing explosive lights out of his vision.

"Sir, are you alright?" Ratchet questioned, turning the situation formal as he checked his commander carefully. Optimus nodded, saying it was merely a disturbance of vision. Nodding back, Ratchet flung out a saw and rushed back to his shelter. Optimus took up his spot again and took out his own blaster, formidable as one of Shockwave's own guns. Optimus took careful aim, but often had to duck away since Shockwave swung towards his direction mostly. Shockwave apparently knew that Optimus also had a gun that could blast three Autobots or Decepticons at a time. This gave Ironhide the opportunity that he wanted.

"Autobots, stand you ground and fight with-Ironhide, no!" Optimus shouted, shooting off the other Decepticons while looking at Ironhide. Optimus had to duck back as he saw Shockwave turn to him again and shot at the crate. Ironhide was running forward, twisting and turning away from the crossfire of cannons and guns and it was just chaos! Blue and red energon blasts sometimes intertwined and gave off purple flashes, blinding Ironhide occasionally, but it didn't stop him from charging.

"GraaaAAAAHHHHH!!!" Ironhide yelled out, almost animalistic and jumped on the turret just as it turned at him. Ironhide began pounding the turret, Shockwave actually rotating to try and get him off, spinning faster and faster, but Ironhide rode it like a human cowboy on a mechanical bull. The shooting actually minimized a little as they watched the rodeo of Autobot and turret Decepticon, Ironhide yelling and Shockwave roaring in protest as Ironhide managed to pull out a cannon and fire it at the top of the turret. The other Autobots looked at each other and then back at the strange sight.

"Uh…Optimus…we gonna charge or what?" Jazz offered, at a loss for words since Ironhide had already taken the obvious incentive to. Optimus just nodded and they went forward, smacking the crap out of the newbie recruits as they stared at their momentary leader and the crazy bot that managed to get on top and attack him.

"WHERE," Ironhide smacked the turret and it whined a bit pitifully as it left a large dent, "IS," Ironhide blasted at one of the guns and it fell off after being shot at so many times, hanging by a mere scrap of metal, "LEANNA?!?!" The turret transformed and Ironhide fell off, landing on his back which was kind of comical since he had held on for so long only to drop when the turret stopped firing and spinning. Shockwave was pretty beat up, and he fell to his knees in defeat and Ironhide got up quickly and stormed on Shockwave. Shockwave looked up to Ironhide, pleading Ironhide not to thrash him anymore. Ironhide just snarled and repeated the question he had screamed at him before.

"Where is Leanna?" he asked in a dead-serious tone, Shockwave pointing down to the corridor. Ironhide ran that way and Shockwave off-lined from terror, collapsing and laying on his chest, energon leaking out. The other Autobots sighed and just shook their heads. Same old Ironhide…back to Leanna and Barricade.

"Make my lord live and I shall spare your life!" Barricade yelled at her, punching her and she fell on her back, Barricade straddling her and pointing his cannon at her.

"For the last time, NO!" she gave a thunderous roar and threw him off, giving off a few combinations of kicks and punches, which drove Barricade back. Frenzy was honestly torn between his savior and his partner, so he just stayed off to the side not helping. Besides, he couldn't do anything with the larger bots fighting.

"LEANNA!!!" a bellow was heard, rattling the room and made Leanna look behind her at the sound. Barricade then managed to shoot her, catching her left shoulder in the blast. Leanna screamed in pain and fell, clutching the leaky shoulder. She closed her optics in pain, biting her bottom lip component, but eventually opened them to see the cannon in her face and she pressed herself into the wall next to the spot where they had entered. Leanna cried out in more pain as he shot her other shoulder, giving no mercy after she had kicked him in the…er…metal crotch during their tussle. Barricade did feel some small sympathy for the femm, but his lord was his first and foremost priority in his lists of things to do.

"Now, fix him," he ordered, grabbing her shoulders and she screamed the one thing she wanted to see the most.

"IRONHIDE!!!" she screamed as loud as she could and a few moments after, a large deafening crash was heard, a large dent appearing in the wall next to her left shoulder. Barricade stared at the dent in disbelief. The wall was reinforced steel, combined with a special metal from Cybertron that was unbreakable, and the wall was at least as thick as two tanks side by side. Leanna smirked in pain, knowing that he heard her. Barricade snarled, turning to look at her. Before he could say anything however, a tremendously pissed off Ironhide crashed through the wall, using his shoulder as a battering ram and the wall fell and slid and hit the other side. Ironhide tumbled as the wall gave way and rolled a bit before getting up again, rage clearly in his optics. His cannons were already raised and ready, smoking from the rampage on Shockwave. Barricade stared at Ironhide, his optics wide and in shock.

"I…Ironhide…you came," she said weakly, clutching her shoulders which were now pouring out energon at a faster rate. Ironhide looked to her then to the cannon that was pointed to her and connected to a forearm that was connected to a very nervous Barricade. He was staring down the barrel of a cannon as Ironhide threw a powerhouse right hook and he landed on his back, sliding a few before Ironhide pointed the cannon at him. Leanna moaned a little before lying on her left side, getting weaker and weaker as the energon poured around her and when it reached Ironhide's feet, Ironhide looked behind and left Barricade alone. He picked Leanna up tenderly; nuzzling her and his rage disappeared. It was a deep contrast to the battle-frenzy that Ironhide had worked himself into, turning into an affectionate and nurturing mate before Barricade's eyes.

"Leanna…I'm sorry…" he whispered to her before stepping over the wall and exiting, Leanna giving a ghost of a smile, her metal exterior changing from the healthy silvery color to a sickly white like her armor and hair. She pushed herself up and kissed him on the lips, her left hand gently against his right cheek, giving Ironhide an apology Leanna-style. She rested back, her head next to his left shoulder and smiled again.

"My…hero…" she managed to get out and Ironhide smiled happily. He craned his neck down to capture Leanna's lips again. Ironhide entered the hangar like this and the Autobots stared at Ironhide's prize for beating the crap out of Shockwave, and Barricade unbeknownst to them. Leanna had wrapped her arms around Ironhide's neck loosely, since she really was weak from the energon loss, and Ironhide was carrying her bridal style. All the Autobots chuckled at the sight, coming over after piling and tying the Decepticons together and greeting Leanna.

"Leanna, it is good to see you…Ironhide, put her down and stop sucking her face so I can repair her," Ratchet told him, Ironhide pulling away a bit sheepishly and knelt, holding her as she laid on the floor. Ratchet shook his head while chuckling again, taking away her shoulder plates and fixing her shoulder which was pretty botched up.

"Well, Leanna, you have some minor shoulder wounds…and what is this?" Ratchet wondered out loud, causing Leanna to look over fearfully with Ironhide. He was scanning her chest, seeing some odd trauma within her circuitry.

"There's some odd singeing here…what happened?" he asked, putting a finger on the blackened part of her arm and armor and she winced a bit as he did so.

"I don't know…Starscream did something to me…like shock therapy or something…" she told him, rubbing that place to get the pain out.

"When I see that slaggin' piece of scrap, I'm gonna send him to the Pit!" Ironhide growled, Leanna looking up and laughing a little at Ironhide's protectiveness.

"I'm sure you will, but right now, I need my man, so would ya stop thinking about him?" she asked, planting a kiss on his chin and he looked down and rubbed his head in apology. She smiled and winced again as Ratchet fixed her armor and arm, tensing up a bit as he lifted the armor and some of her circuitry revealed itself. He got through it without incident however and smiled at her, Leanna smiling back and Ironhide helped her up. Optimus scratched his head as he stared up at the hangar.

"There should be a device that will lift this platform up…or else how would the Decepticons without wings gotten out?" Optimus said to himself, looking around while the others joined him and Leanna looked around.

"Oh, it's under your foot," Leanna remarked, kneeling down and Optimus lifted his right foot and looked in disbelief as he found that there was a control panel under a metal case, right under his foot. Leanna giggled and she flipped open the case, pressing the red button that was labeled "up". They rose and were met by Starscream who had to fly back up as he saw the Autobots rising out of his base. He fled the scene, snarling to himself at being so foolish as to leave his base unattended. Ironhide took careful aim and shot one at the jet, nicking a wing and Starscream screeched in pain, trailing an odd energon rainbow in the sky, a dazzling blue against the dark grey clouds.

"Wow…never knew you were an artist, 'Hide," Leanna giggled, the energon soon falling down and the rainbow went away and they were showered by the energon. Ironhide smiled down at her, giving another kiss before the slightly blue Autobots transformed and drove away back to their base, the energon sliding off them.

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chiv-id: Okay, that's that, and I'd just like to give a shout out to the faithful people who's been reviewing (ahem), okay, this is a long list:

**SkyHighFan; bloodshifter; Raven06 (love your Protector series!); GrimlockX4; Jetsir (thank you for your constructive criticism!); Elita One; Stetsuna Dragon (love your Alien/Predator stuffs, yay for Predator stuffs!); HotShot14; DavyJoneslover (thank you for voting for Optimus! he loves you!); Mrs. Optimus Prime (love all your stuff!); Dragon260; yutakayumi; PandlyBas**

chiv-id: I thank all you people! Just a thanks for passing the 50-review mark! (listening to Sk8ter Boi)

Leanna and the whole crew: Yes, thank you! (Leanna) So...is this the end of the series?

chiv-id: ...maybe...maybe not, depends on how many reviews I get, since I might be ending it to work on my other ones...

Leanna and Ironhide: Please give more reviews!

chiv-id: Yeah, if you give me reviews up to...perhaps 80? Then I'll continue the series...okay, reviews people!


	13. Kiss and Make Up?

chiv-id: Okay, one thing about this chapter...**THIS CHAPTER IS M-RATED, BE WARNED!!!** Thank you.

Leanna and Ironhide: What?

chiv-id: Okay, back into the story for you! You have a big day coming up! (grins evilly)

Leanna: What are you planning?

chiv-id: Time you got some action, honey! Now scat! **LEANNAXIRONHIDE STUFF IN HERE PEOPLE, ANOTHER WARNING!!!**:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna! On with LeannaXIronhide goodness!

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What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 12: Kiss and Make Up?

It was a bright sunny morning and Leanna was asleep in her recharge bed, unlike her male counterparts. Ironhide was sitting in the health bay along with Optimus, Ratchet, and Jazz. Unfortunately, Bumblebee was dragged into taking Mikaela and Sam to the movies and the beach, where he'd have to watch them and couldn't partake in the very interesting conversation the other male Autobots were discussing…

"For the last time, I know!" Ironhide threw up his hands, then placing his head in them, "I know that I was a slaggin' pithead, now would you help me think of something to show that I'm sorry? Never was good with words…" The Autobots grinned to each other, each happy to pitch in their own idea to help their love-struck comrade.

"Well, how about showing her your smooth side?" Jazz offered.

"He doesn't _have_ a smooth side," Ratchet groaned at him, shaking his head before whipping his head at him, "I had to patch up his shoulder after he went through Cybertronian metal and reinforced steel about 30 feet thick! He plowed into it like a pit head and tore up his own shoulder! I don't know what you're thinking, but Ironhide…_I-ron-hide_!" Ratchet emphasized each word, Jazz rubbing his head in apology.

"Yeah…what was I thinkin'?" Jazz wondered out loud. Ironhide glared a moment at the two of them, but then nodded in defeat and agreement.

"Well, whenever Elita-1 and I had fights, we…er…" Optimus rubbed his head, deciding to keep quiet, but Ironhide looked up at his old friend, as did the other Autobots.

"Well?" Ironhide pleaded, hoping Optimus would give the answer. Optimus stayed silent, but Jazz had an idea, being the sparker that he was.

"What, fights turn you on?" asked Jazz, all the Autobots groaning as they realized Optimus' real answer, "Dang, Optimus…never knew you had it in you…" Optimus just stayed silent for a moment before explaining, getting slightly annoyed at the continued groans and laughs from his soldiers.

"This was when we were young, so would you quit it!" Optimus said to them, the soldiers wiping away fake tears and getting their hands away from their stomachs after laughing so hard. He crossed his arms and decided not to give any more help, the others taking the wheel.

"Well, how about you take her to the beach. She might not be human in body, but she is still human in mind. I have reviewed movies on the internet and many humans consider walking on the beach to be…'romantic', something human girls often swoon for," Ratchet gave, Ironhide nodding and stood up, deciding to go and ask right then and there, "Hold it! Do you have any idea what to do at the beach?" Ironhide stopped in mid-step, stumbling as he tried to regain his balance. He looked back sheepishly and shook his head, Ratchet shaking his head.

"Try walking along the beach, but beyond that…everything else is impossible unless holograms can digest food and you can sing…" at the last remark, Ironhide glared again, "What, you can sing?" Ironhide's face dropped and he looked down, glaring at the floor instead in defeat.

"I thought so…" Ratchet said, crossing his arms, "Now, what else is 'romantic', or something that Leanna would like?" They all pondered, each one having gotten to know her over the past week or so after her eventful kidnapping. Optimus even took to thinking, having discussed with her missions and such, Leanna being perfect for stealth missions. Jazz was the first.

"Well…know that she likes sports…likes to fight, like ole' Ironhide here…" Jazz said, everyone nodding before Ironhide gave a gruff 'hey'.

"And she actually enjoys reading, believe it or not. Caught her reading some of my books and she found that she liked them," Ratchet said, Ironhide looking up in confusion, "They were novels from Cybertron."

"I believe she also enjoys Cameros…" Ironhide growled a little bit, and everyone laughed at this, Bumblebee actually joining. This surprised everyone as they heard his buzzing laughter.

"Bumblebee…where did you come from?" Ratchet asked, Bumblebee giving a broken sentence.

"I…released…from…driving…" Bumblebee tried to say, but Ratchet understood, nodding for Bumblebee to continue, "I…have…idea…" They listened in as Bumblebee gave an answer that shocked the circuits right off of them.

"Kae…gave…idea…told…her…problem," Bumblebee buzzed happily, giving a thumbs-up, "Good…luck…" Ironhide rubbed his head, wondering how he was going to make _that_ work, let alone have the courage to do it.

"Uh, how about I give your guys stuff a try first, Bee's one's last," Ironhide said, but turning to see Optimus, he corrected it, "No, wait. I'll give Bee's second to last, Optimus' one is definitely last." Everyone howled at this and Optimus punched Ironhide in the shoulder before sighing and going off, deciding to brood in his room. Their howling woke up Leanna, who stretched and got up, rubbing at her optics. Opening her door, she saw Optimus stomp past her room, giving her reason to become curious. She had never seen the bot so flustered before! However, the howling was much more intriguing and she snuck up to the medical bay and listened in to their conversation. After the initial shock that Ironhide was actually trying to get romantic, she giggled silently and was almost in fits. She snuck away after hearing each and every idea. Boy, was this going to be an interesting day…

"Leanna…Leanna?" Ironhide called, knocking on her door. Leanna opened her door and she smiled, her mind already working evil ideas on how to make Ironhide pay. Hey, he dumped her and drove her away. Sure, he saved her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get a little somethin'-somethin' for her emotional pain from before.

"Hey, hero, what's up?" Leanna asked, letting him in.

"Uh, Leanna, I wanted to take you…take you to the beach," Ironhide said, sitting on the recharge bed. Leanna sat down next to him and thought a bit, then she made a bit of a sad face with a small energon tear run down, letting him see, then turning aside, making it like she hadn't wanted to let him see it.

"Oh…uh, sure…" Leanna said a bit softly, her acting flawless, "Just…"

"What is it?" Ironhide asked, turning to her.

"Nothing, I'll go if you want me to," Leanna said softly again, getting up and smiling a bit sadly, "…Well?" Ironhide then remembered; it was the same place where he dumped her. Slag!

"No, no! Uh, I change my mind, we don't have to go to the beach…" Ironhide said, cursing himself while Leanna giggled in her mind along with the Allspark. One idea down…

"Well, I figure that we could…er, go and train some more…" Ironhide said, Leanna smiling a bit brighter, "You know, spar, fight...uh…wait, not what I…" Leanna made some fake tears come up a bit at the word 'fight', one energon one falling before she turned away, saying a soft 'ok' again. Ironhide stuttered a bit as he took back the idea, another one biting the dust and Leanna bit her lip-component to contain her laughter, turned away for a reason.

"Ok, ok, how about…how about…" he was on his second to the last option…ok, maybe his last option since he certainly didn't think that Optimus' idea would work. He sighed as he ran a hand over his face, Leanna still turned to him, but now she was shaking, her right hand on her elbow, her left up to her face. It seemed as if she were crying, even making little noises, but Leanna was just laughing. He turned on his radio, sighing at how corny it would be, but Bumblebee had said…

"_Morning, day, and night, what would I do, would I do right?_" his radio cried out at her, playing the song that ultimately brought them together. He got off the bed and was kneeling down before her and taking her left hand. She stopped her laughing; he was thrilled that she had stopped her noises and shaking. Quickly making like she was drying tears, she looked back at him, knowing Bumblebee's plan. It was just like her favorite romantic theme, where the man who loved the woman would grab a stereo and stand out in the rain, playing a song for her under his window. She smiled and walked back, bending down and hugging him. He nuzzled her neck in return, his own hands coming up and wrapping around her.

"Am…am I forgiven?" asked Ironhide, his music turning down a bit and just playing in the background. She smiled a bit sadly, for real this time.

"You…did have a right to yell at me…you never knew…you weren't from this world…I didn't expect you to understand…" she told him hesitantly, sitting down across from Ironhide on the bare floor, shuddering a bit as she felt the cold metal, "I felt…I felt so guilty, and when you wouldn't listen…" Real tears began to fall, hugging her knees and she put her head into them. The Allspark had put in antennas to complete her look, those antennas white and now bent back to show her sadness.

"You never had to apologize…it…it was all my fault," she whispered, the energon running down and making a small pool on the floor. Ironhide was at a lost, Bumblebee's idea had just gone down the drain. It had worked, but now he made her feel worse…what's a bot to do? He checked off every single last idea from each bot until…

'Oh no…' he thought, trying to deny his consciousness, 'Oh no, for the love of Primus…I can't do that…' Ironhide turned to Leanna, who was now really shaking, her tears breaking his spark and ultimately breaking his dignity.

"Leanna, please, don't cry…" Ironhide tried comforting her, but she pulled herself away, standing up and holding her hands to her chest, looking away from him.

"I…I'm such a…I'm sorry, I hurt you badly and now I hate myself!" she cried, breaking down as she worked herself into a self-hating frenzy, "I…I don't know how I'll make it up to you, but…I understand if you-mph!" Leanna felt herself pressed up against the wall of her room, Ironhide grabbing her shoulders and gently pushing his body against hers as he kissed her. After a long moment, he pulled away, leaving Leanna feeling flushed after the breath-taking kiss. He hugged her and she fell against him, hugging him back for support.

"I love you," Ironhide told her, "And it was my fault, don't hate yourself. I forgive you…will you forgive me?" Leanna looked into his optics, full of love and concern and she couldn't help but nod, smiling.

"I do…" she said, returning the kiss, standing on her tip-toes to reach him. She then realized that she was pressing up against Ironhide and she blushed, turning away a bit shyly and her temperatures rose, her cheeks turning white again. Ironhide's own temperatures rose, feeling every curve of her body against his. Ironhide couldn't believe what happened next, feeling Leanna look to him and then push her head into his chest, nuzzling it while sending a delicious jolt of spark energy into Ironhide. He groaned, feeling the energy go directly to his spark, then spread through out his entire body. Small fires were lighting through out his body, the jolt touching each sensor and making it tingle heavenly with pleasure. He looked down, breathing a little heavily as she kissed the metal on his chest, as if asking to see his spark. Ironhide shuddered and stumbled back a bit, feeling her push another bit of spark energy into him.

"Le…Leanna," he panted a bit, Leanna looking up to him and then standing on her tip-toes to give him a gentle kiss, her eyes closed. He scanned her and then realized the odd smell in the room…it was Leanna. Ironhide mentally slapped himself. It was summer on Earth, but, around this time, femms often were sexually active. And it was him who initiated it…he couldn't think about the topic as Leanna's optics seemed to take on a dull white hue, similar to humans' eyes glazing when passionate. Leanna's temperatures were rising dangerously, and she was giving off the correct pheromone signature. Her motions were reflecting it as Leanna seemed to lose all sentient thinking. One hand snaked around his waist, the other rubbing his chest as she kissed it. Ironhide felt like he was floating and couldn't help but follow his instincts. He actually smoothed over his rough edges and slid her onto the recharge bed, as if he were a smooth operator. Ironhide kissed her head, nuzzling her and nipping at her neck. She mewed, her hands running up to his neck and she gasped as she felt the spark energy come back to her, this time Ironhide sending her some. They went down her neck to her spark and then ran through her, pleasure lingering on each sensor it passed. Ironhide was on his side, one leg up, the other under her knees, Leanna on her back next to him, Ironhide wrapping his arms around her and she was bent back a bit to let him have access to her neck.

"I…Ironhide…" she moaned, feeling one hand run down her side and then up, enticing her, "Mmm…" Leanna was definitely getting aroused and she was definitely in heat, her pheromone levels reading off the charts on his preliminary scan, the only reason why he could smell it. She was breathing heavily, her cheeks a blazing white in passion and her optics flickering in and out in pleasure. Leanna moved to undo her armor, as if it were too heavy and were weighing her down. This was also something strange. Transformers normally don't take off their armor like clothes and they certainly didn't have what Leanna have, even the femms. She removed her armor and it clunked around her as she revealed the spark nestled between her metal breasts, just a little above her cleavage. He could clearly see some circuitry, and he became curious. Ironhide brushed a finger along the metal around her spark and then down between the breasts, Leanna moaning and bucking up a little at the feel of it. Leanna undid the rest of her armor, making it look as if she were naked like a human, only being metal and much larger. Ironhide took in the sight, marveling at the beautiful display. Each curve was devoured by his optics, amazing him as he observed her anatomy.

"….Does it…you don't…" she began panting a bit, still in the throes of passion, but as soon as she caught sight of him staring at her, she began to cool. Her temperatures began to drop a little, her pheromones almost immediately ceased. Leanna began to think that he was disgusted by her body, seeing as how she was part human, part bot. She was a bit depressed at this thought.

"You're beautiful," Ironhide merely said, Leanna smiling sincerely and hugging him. Leanna was ecstatic, someone who truly loved her…

"Ah!" she gasped, feeling more spark energy pushed into her and she moaned slightly feeling it all rushing through her system. Her optics were flickering again, her breaths coming in a bit labored and she brushed her lips across his face, then down his neck. She was pushing him on his back, now kissing his chest, making him moan. Man was she good!

"Leanna…" he moaned slightly, the bot putting his left hand on her waist, his other hand splayed out to the side. She straddled him, kissing and she saw the dazzling blue and white spark that was there beyond his armor. Leanna stroked Ironhide's chest, her fingers delving beyond his armor in search of the mechanism that would reveal the beautiful thing to her. Constantly brushing sensor upon sensor, wire upon wire, she found it. Only thing is, she had Ironhide in his own little world now, pleasure receptors peaking. He moaned, his hands now roaming everywhere. They had been sending spark energy into them, almost battling to see who could put more into who. The feeling was incredible, to the say the least, and Leanna wasn't complaining. She saw his chest retract, Ironhide's spark now open and bare to her and she saw a swirl of colors within it. The colors weren't just neon blue and blazing white, but now a myriad, hot pink, spring green, different shades of blue, occasional splashes of yellow. It was beautiful.

"Ironhide…" she breathed, a little out of it because of her own pleasure receptors reaching to the max.

'_Press your spark to his…_' the Allspark gave out before the entity's voice dying out to give them peace. She half-acknowledged the Allspark's advice, instead exploring. The spark energy was mixing in both of them, Ironhide pushing constantly and Leanna fought back with her own tidal waves of energy. She brushed her lips along his stomach and then lower and lower, Ironhide groaning. He bucked up when she actually came across his crotch and she wondered what lay there. Leanna grinned and was breathing heavily, her slim fingers reaching in and finding a bundle of wires that she had an urge to squeeze. Prying open the metal for a second, she reached in swiftly and grabbed them gently, and Ironhide's panting suddenly escalating into a breathy and load moan. She smiled and kept patting and in fact sent her energy through that particular area, Ironhide writhing. Finally, he couldn't take it, and with a roar, plowed into her, taking her by surprise and knocking her on her back. He kissed her fiercely, his metal groin bucking against her own and she moaned in the kiss. He took off the metal casing that shielded his spark, throwing it to the side and placed himself ready just above her cleavage.

"You ready?" asked Ironhide, breathing heavy as he nuzzled her neck and kissed it, Leanna nodding and moaning a bit, their spark energy hitting the highs in their exchanges. He pushed himself onto her chest, the openings to their sparks connecting and they ultimately shared their spark energy, bonding together. Leanna screamed and Ironhide roared, both overloading and sparks flying from everywhere in their body. The colors in Ironhide's spark now reflected Leanna's own, the colors infusing with their sparking and the small electrical spikes flying from them were like the colors of their sparks. It was spectacular, almost like watching fireworks as they bonded. And after a moment, their screams and roars dying out, Ironhide collapsed and fell to his left side, the old bot off-lining shortly after with Leanna cuddling in his arms. She was smiling happily, Ironhide resting at her side with his own smile.

'Can't believe I actually took Optimus' idea…' was one of his last thoughts, 'But that was incredible…' They off-lined into a blissful sleep, pleasure receptors slowly declining into a lovely numb feeling through out their entire body. Hours later, knocking was heard and Leanna moaned a bit. She felt Ironhide's strong arms around her and she smiled, snuggling into them and kissing his chest. Leanna saw his spark, dancing a bit, back to its original blue-white color. He was still off-line and didn't want to let Leanna go as she tried to get up, the knocking becoming more insistent. Finally, prying herself from her grasp, she slipped on all her armor, quickly covering Ironhide so that he slept silently under the tarp. She fixed herself up a bit and couldn't help but blush as she saw how disheveled she looked. Sighing, Leanna prepped herself and when she looked normal, she kept the lights low and opened the door.

"Yes?" she answered, the knocking stopping abruptly as she heard murmurs, opening the door so that it was half open, "Something you want?" Her voice was a bit low, but she was smiling softly.

"Um…did you…uh, happen to see Ironhide today?" asked Ratchet, rubbing his head and Leanna smiled again.

"Sorry, uh, haven't seen-eep!" she gave a squeak as she felt Ironhide come up behind her and hug her. The door slid open all the way and they saw Ironhide standing behind Leanna with a glare that could turn the most heated bot's energon cold. Ironhide's spark casing was still missing, showing all the Autobots that he was still uncovered and Leanna blushed, his hands clasping together on her waist. She put one hand on his hands and the other on his right arm.

"You want something?" he asked gruffly, his glare remaining and the other bots looked at each other with a knowing expression. Prime happened to be exiting and when he saw the gathering outside of Leanna's door, he went to investigate.

"Is there something that I should know about why everyone is here?" Optimus asked, standing before his comrades right before he could see Leanna and Ironhide together. This was too perfect. Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Jazz all burst out laughing, Ironhide just snarling softly and his hold on Leanna became tighter, Leanna confused at their laughing and blushed harder. Optimus Prime walked over and found Ironhide with his spark revealed to the world and he stared. He began chuckling and smirked.

"Well…seems like I do give good advice after all…" Optimus said, putting his hands behind his head with satisfaction, "That's why I'm your leader." They all howled and even Ironhide had to grumble at this, pulling Leanna inside and replacing his spark casing back on his spark and closing his chest.

"They are laughing because…?" Leanna questioned, a bit confused and embarrassed by the situation. He sighed and scratched his head a little nervously, sitting on the recharge bed. She was kneeling beside him, finding that she had forgotten to put on her leggings. Ironhide eventually told her and she giggled.

"Well, I knew about all of that," Leanna said, Ironhide blinking in surprise, "That's why I shot down all of the ideas until only Bumblebee and Mikaela's were left. That was my favorite romantic theme, so I pushed away all the other ideas until you came up with that one." Ironhide snorted and she giggled again, but then turned a little serious after finishing with one legging.

"So, why were the guys laughing…and Optimus said something about 'advice'? What was that all about?" Leanna asked, getting the other side on.

"Optimus' idea was that after a fight, sparking would come and…well…he guessed right I guess…" Ironhide told her, scratching his head again. Leanna stared.

"Optimus? Optimus _Prime_? Brave leader and all-around-moral-induced _Optimus Prime_? _Our _Optimus Prime?" Leanna said in disbelief and began cracking up, cataloging the information for use later. She came out of the room laughing with Ironhide walking behind her a bit embarrassed. They walked into the medical bay with Ironhide wrapping his left hand around her waist and her still giggling.

"Hey _Prime_," she said with a certain tone that had Prime's antennas standing on end, the other Autobots looking towards their leader, then Leanna, "Never knew you were a horny love-machine…" Again, the laughing came up after a second, Optimus Prime turning away in embarrassment before trying to calm his soldiers. After a while, Optimus lost his cool and chased everyone except the two love birds, watching the entertaining sight with Leanna sitting between Ironhide's legs and her leaning against his chest. Leanna could only smile as she watched her new family.

* * *

chiv-id: Okay, happy now?!? I made LeannaXIronhide goodness! **LeannaXIronhide GOODNESS!!! **And I had fun writing it!

Leanna and Ironhide: (still cuddling and sleeping)

chiv-id: It's so cute! And Prime, how'd it feel to be the "horny love-machine"?

Optimus Prime: Last time, I'm not a "horny love-machine"!!! (other Autobots and Decepticons staring, then bursting into laughter)

chiv-id: Heheheh...look what I got! (holds up recorder)

Optimus Prime: ...What are you going to do with that chiv-id?

chiv-id: (reconfigures message) (In Optimus' voice) "I'm...a 'horny love-machine'!" (ends message) (grins evilly)

Optimus Prime: ...CHIV-ID!!! (chases chiv-id for recorder) For the love of Primus, you send that out on the radio, I'll kill you!!!

chivid: HAHAHA!!! Reviews!


	14. Morning Sickness

chiv-id: Hey, y'all! It's me, chiv-id here, again. I put up a new chappie, yay!

Leanna: ...excuse me...(runs out)

Ironhide: Leanna, what is it? (tries to run out with her, but chiv-id stops him)

chiv-id: Hold it! You'll find out in the chapter, so sit tight!

Ironhide: But-

chiv-id: Do the disclaimer if you're so anxious!

Ironhide: (huffs) Fine:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own her OC.

chiv-id: Okay, go on, read it!

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 13: Morning Sickness

Leanna yawned and stretched and smiled over to her companion. Ironhide was sleeping contentedly, his arm wrapped around Leanna's shoulders. He was snoring slightly, but other than that, looked absolutely perfect. She snuck out of the bed, going for her early morning drive as usual, leaving her mate to sleep until she came back into his arms and he awoke. This was usual, but she never told Ironhide. It was always her thing, something to keep her mind fresh ever since her family had died…

'Maybe it's time I gave them a visit…' she thought, earning a sad approval from the Allspark. It had been a while since she had visited them and she was wondering how they were doing. She often thought of her human family then her Autobot family, but shook it off. She knew that there would come a time where the Allspark would have to separate from her and the Autobots might leave to rebuild their home again, but hey, why worry now? As long as she had Ironhide beside her and loved her, that was all she needed…then again, would Ironhide leave as soon as the Allspark and her came apart? Sure, he loved her, but he had his duties and his responsibilities, couldn't just drop them for little ole' her…

'Just once…just for this small while,' she thought sadly, getting up and kissing Ironhide on the head lightly, 'I'd like to believe that I'll have a permanent family…' She walked out and again stretched, looking up to the dying summer sun. Yes, summer was almost over and her uncle would be calling to see which college she'd be getting into…she sighed. How would she tell her uncle that she was turned into an alien robot hybrid and therefore couldn't go to college? Boy, wouldn't that be a joy? She began to feel a little uncharacteristically cranky, but shoved the feelings of anger away. She jogged through the base with silent foot steps, looking around before coming out of the hangar. Suddenly, she felt funny…not like the ha-ha funny, but the weird funny. Her stomach seemed to jump and she bent down as if she were going to heave. A moment later, she did, an odd pink energon trail coming from the side of her mouth as she wiped it away, glad she did so in a bush so that no one noticed.

"What…the hell?" Leanna said, drawing her arm away to see the pink. It only started a few days ago, the morning sickness, the queer anxiety and anger that occasionally rose up to take over her emotions…what the heck was wrong with her. Deciding that she was only having a femm version of mood swings and time of the month, she shrugged it off. After all, she was human and bot, but what concerned her was that there was no energon flowing from her legs as if she _were_ having her period. But, again, she wasn't one to sweat the details…despite it being _her_ time of the month. By now, she'd be having one of the heaviest flows in history, constantly buying pads for the next time. Leanna stretched again, quickly putting dirt on the hot pink stuff. She also was getting weird cravings, as if she were hungry. She asked the Allspark in her mind but she wasn't responding…only in certain moments, but other than that, she wouldn't talk. It was odd, but she was used to the Allspark being quiet only until she visited the back of her mind and she hadn't had a search–the-mind for a while. She even talked to Ratchet, asking if they ate anything and found that there was a different energon that they ate. It was pink, in small cubes, and was tasted a bit like soda, mixed in with strawberries and mint. She had been downing the stuff almost 4 times a day, which was a bit considering how she had never wanted any before. On the rare occasion the Allspark got a say in the matter, she told her that she had been sustaining her on her own volition. Somehow, though, the Allspark said that something was stealing the self-producing energon from her, as if it were being diverted to another source…

'Eh, must be from me being in this body so long,' Leanna guessed, jogging around the base before transforming, 'I used up all her energon and now have to sustain myself on those pink-cubed energon…' This was fairly good logic to her and she drove off, her hologram in her seat. She finally reached the park, and her hologram got out, walking over to the three white crosses at the intersection. She looked around and pulled out some nice-looking flowers, putting them at her family's grave and a small holographic tear came out and landed on the concrete, evaporating away into nothingness.

"Hey mom, dad, Kelly," she said, stroking the little cross fondly, "It's me, Leanna. You guys wouldn't believe all the stuff that's happened to me in the summer." She sat down for a moment and talked, feeing better as she unloaded it all to her always listening, always understanding family. Upon getting up after and saying good-bye, she felt dizzy. Her hologram fell down and she lay on her side, looking at the intersection that was turning upside down then multiplying.

"Oh god…" she mumbled, holding her head and trying to get up, "Did I get drugged? Autobot-style?" She managed to look around for a second and disappeared, knowing that no one saw her. Then, Leanna drove a little haphazardly, as if there were a drunk driver driving her. She stopped erratically, her driving taking her almost into a wall sometimes. She was glad no one was out at this time.

'Ok, we're back, no harm, no fowl,' she thought with a foggy mind, transforming as soon as she got to the base and stumbling back in like a drunkard. However, everyone was up and saw her stagger in. Ironhide was the first to rush to her and keep her straight.

"Leanna! Where were you?" he demanded, "I woke up and I couldn't find you anywhere!" She shook her head to get the dizziness out, hearing his voice in a distorted tone. Leanna looked up, her head lolling a little and Ironhide cut his tirade short.

"Leanna…Leanna?" he asked, shaking her a little.

"Sorrryy babe…" she said, her voice slurred and sounding odd as if she were speaking far away in a transmission, "Wanted to take…a wwwaalllk…" She slumped against him, off-lining and he caught her, Ironhide's optics going wide with fright.

"Ratchet!" he called out, the medic and the other Autobots instantly rushing over after watching the scene. The medic checked her out, Ironhide putting her head into his lap and stroking her hair with concern. Ratchet then scanned her, doing a complete one, from head to toe. On his second scan, he stopped, noticing something odd. There were twin lights on his scan appearing in her stomach.

"Hm…I think she may have viruses…" Ratchet said, putting a hand to his head to activate the high specs to examine it better. Ironhide kissed her forehead in hoping that Ratchet was wrong and he sat up quickly when Ratchet dropped his hand to the floor in surprise. Ratchet was gawking at her stomach and looked a little weird, Optimus coming over and shaking him.

"Ratchet? What is it?" Optimus asked, Ratchet turning a stiff gaze up to the unconscious Leanna and fearful Ironhide.

"Is…something wrong with her?" asked Ironhide in a shaky voice. He had never felt so scared; frightened by the fact that something could be killing her.

"Ironhide…" he said, his optics still wide and he talked in a daze, "How long ago did you spark with her?" Ironhide looked a little strangely as he tried to remember. It had been at least a few weeks or maybe more, telling Ratchet and then it hit him.

"Ratchet…are you telling me that…" he gulped and looked down at Leanna, "She might be…" Ratchet detached his high-specs for Ironhide to equip to his own scanners. Ironhide took it shakily, the other Autobots except for Ratchet looking at them in confusion. Ironhide strapped it onto his head and leaned over to look at his mate's stomach. What he saw there nearly stopped and fizzled out his spark. There, where Ratchet had seen two lights, two blue sparks were nestled against each other. Yes, sparks, sparks that belonged to the two twins that Leanna was going to birth. Sparklings…

"Oh Primus…" he said, shortly off-lining in surprise and shock. Ratchet himself felt like it, but stayed strong and explained, the others' optics going wide, shell-shocked. Leanna…was pregnant. The bots looked at each other, then at the two unconscious mates in wonder, Leanna carrying sparklings while Ironhide, being as normal as a alien robot dad could get, fainted at the thought of getting Leanna pregnant. They put the two into berths, side by side, Leanna in the left, Ironhide in the right. Ratchet remembered how Leanna asked him about what Transformers ate; showing her the pink cubes and seeing her sniff it before downing one completely. It was odd to see a femm drain one so quickly, but before he knew it, she had guzzled at least 4 by the time she was done. Usually, femms were dainty and sipped it. Leanna…whoo...

"Ugh…my head…" she managed to say when she was done with the four energon cubes. It was a bit comical since draining it too quickly would result in disorientation. He never thought, though, that it would be from something else. Ratchet sighed and looked at the two, Leanna sleeping softly while Ironhide was just stretched out and snored a bit. These two were certainly one of a kind…

"Mm…Ironhide?" called Leanna as she awoke an hour or so later. She sat up slowly and held her head, her antennas flipping a little oddly as she tried to gain her bearings about where she was. She felt sick for some odd reason, again, and stood up to try and get it out. Running quickly and peering around if anyone was around, she got to the bush and threw up, only to have Bumblebee zoom up in his car form with Mikaela and Sam. Mikaela and Sam both jumped out at seeing Leanna heaving into a bush, pink stuff coming out.

"Oh my god! Leanna, what happened?" asked Mikaela, running up and attaching herself to her friend's right leg and petting it as if to sooth her, "Bumblebee came up and picked us up from the beach and then drove us here." Leanna smiled weakly to her friends, not knowing how to explain it.

"Well…I'm not sure…just felt sick all of a sudden…no big fuss…" she responded, holding the side of the hangar for support. Her antennas flipped up as she heard Ironhide coming to, his groans drawing her back to the medical bay.

"Leanna…I'm sorry…" he got out, drawing her close and standing up, holding her against his chest. She stood there in his arms a little confused and she pulled away, staring him straight in the optic.

"I thought we got over that issue…" she told him, but he shook his head.

"No, remember when we…uh…" he noticed the two other teens and stopped himself, but Leanna understood.

"Yeah, what of it?" Leanna cocked her head a little to the side, still confused.

"Well…you know the dizziness-" Ironhide was stopped when Ratchet came in.

"And the sickness, and the cravings," Ratchet was counting them off and Ironhide looked back to her, noticing the dried pink trail on her lips. He wiped it away and she smiled a bit sheepishly, but Ironhide just felt even guiltier.

"Would you ever think that, maybe, all these things occurred because…of what happened a few weeks ago?" Ironhide made a point by hugging her and bringing one hand to wrap around her shoulders, the other resting on her stomach. Leanna blinked and then realized what he was saying and looked up at him slowly with wide optics.

"I'm…pregnant?" Leanna asked softly, Ironhide looking down at her and smiling apologetically, "Oh god…" Ironhide was a little down trodden as she uttered out the prayer, thinking she didn't want the sparklings. Leanna, on the other hand, was thanking god, a smile lighting up her face as she thought of Ironhide's children.

"Ironhide…I'm going to have your kid!" she exclaimed happily, turning around and jumping on him, Ironhide a bit startled as she hung on his neck, a few feet off the ground. Ironhide grinned as she excitedly whispered her thoughts and joys at having his sparklings, his arms coming to support her and he flung her around a bit before setting her back down and kissing her. Mikaela and Sam were staring at the two.

"Ok…did you just say you were pregnant?" Sam asked, Leanna nodding with happiness, "…Let me guess, hormones?" Leanna threw him a glare, daring him to speak on the subject. Mikaela only smiled somewhat sympathetic, somewhat glad for them, giving a few words of congratulations.

"Oh and Leanna," Ratchet called out after re-equipping his high specs, "You're not going to have one, but two. Twins…" Leanna smiled even broader, kissing Ironhide on the chest before looking down to her stomach and putting a hand on it. Ratchet walked over and was also going to give congratulations when someone came over the com-link. Ratchet pressed his hand to the small circular disc on the side of his cranium and listened in, his expression going from serious to a comical horror. Leanna cocked her head to one side as she saw the unusual behavior from the medic, looking up to Ironhide who only shrugged before pressing his own com-link to hear the conversation. Ironhide seemed to have the same feelings as Ratchet when his face seemed to go hard and grumpy. Ironhide and Ratchet retracted their hands and looked at each other.

"Looks like we're going to have another set of twins…" Ratchet said dryly, going over to his table and seemed to be preparing berths and tables.

"If only it were you two," Ironhide grumbled, putting his hand to Leanna's stomach again and kissing Leanna, "We have some recruits coming in."

"More Autobots?" Sam asked, looking up and spotting Ironhide's expression, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when it comes to _those_ two," Ironhide spat, stomping away, leaving a bewildered Leanna and she looked down to her human companions, both shrugging.

"Guess I should see why my boo so mad," Leanna muttered, walking away. She found him inside their room, sulking as he began vigorously cleaning his guns.

"Ironhide, baby, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him on his left on the recharge bed, putting her right hand on his shoulder armor. He looked at her and the rag in his hand slowed as he gave a tired groan. Leanna only gave him a sympathetic expression as she began to rub his shoulder, wondering what was wrong.

"The recruits that are going to be landing here in a few hours are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe…" Ironhide told her, dropping the rag as he proceeded to let Leanna pull him into her lap, "Those two are twins, and trouble-making ones at that." Ironhide almost lost himself in her caresses as she tried her best to sooth him, her hands stroking his face, chest, arms, and shoulders.

"Well, they can't be all bad," she remarked, her smile calming him as his optics flickered, "Besides; I can try and straighten them out if you like. No one messes with my man except me." He chuckled, his optics shutting off, but remaining on-line. Leanna smiled at his completely peaceful expression, leaning down and kissing him on his lip-components and pressing her forehead to his. He put his optics back on and she stared into his icy blue ones, Ironhide marveling in her white.

"Is that so?" he chuckled again, getting up and leaning over Leanna, "Or perhaps it is me who will 'mess' with you?" He kissed her again and nuzzled her neck, Leanna giggling before using a switch to put the lights on low. Ironhide got up for a moment to close the door as they sparked again, a softer and gentler version compared to the one that gave Leanna sparklings. Ironhide was a bit more curious when she stripped herself of her armor and fondled a metal breast, feeling it shift as if there were liquid inside. Her sensors were much more closer to her "skin", instead of being buried under wires upon wires. Leanna let him explore her body, only moaning slightly as he reached for more intimate parts. It was a relaxing period for both of them, just lounging in each others arms after they had sparked, Ironhide nuzzling the top of her head and rubbing her side, Leanna sighing into his chest and stroking it. When they heard the knocking on the door, both of them groaned a bit in protest, but Ironhide knew what it meant.

"If I come back with a bunch of spare parts, you'll know what they are," Ironhide told her softly, leaving her to lay there in naked splendor on the recharge bed. She grabbed the tarp she had lying around as she watched him replace the spark casing on his spark and close the armor around it. Waving a dreamy good-bye, Leanna watched Ironhide stroll out, Ironhide smiling at her before closing the door again. She leaned back and just let the feel of the tarp and the spongy material of the recharge bed envelop her senses, feeling suddenly tired. It was only when she heard some pounding on the walls of her room that she realized she had fallen asleep…and the roars and hoots of laughter accompanied by the blasts from plasma cannons.

"C'mon you old dog, you," called one voice, another blast of plasma shot off.

"Yeah, have you gotten that out of shape?" another one yelled, Leanna raising an eyebrow and she heard Ironhide roar again.

"Love the paintjob!" both voices chorused, before Ironhide shot off a few more before being reprimanded by Ratchet as the twins danced away from the line of fire. Unfortunately, they decided to escape Ironhide's wrath by ducking into Ironhide and Leanna's room…with a still naked Leanna sitting underneath a tarp. She screamed as they barged in, a red bot skidding to a halt with wide aqua blue optics, staring at her with his mouth agape before being crashed into by a similar looking robot, only yellow and having more blue-green optics. She stared as she finished screaming, both twins tumbling, ending with the red bot's head sticking out from under the aft of the yellow bot, groaning. Ironhide came in shortly (with red and yellow splashed across his front), his cannons smoking as he ran to Leanna's side, asking her if she was okay. Leanna quickly put on her armor, giving him a shaky yes before turning to the twins who were up and at 'em again.

"As you could have guessed," Ironhide said in a restrained voice, "These are the twins, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe…slaggin' sparklings…"

"Yup, I'm Sunstreaker, pleased to meet ya," the yellow upstart giving her a wink and she raised an eyebrow.

"And I am Sideswipe," the red bot piped up, smiling at her and bowing.

"And we're the Lamborghini Twins!" they both exclaimed, slapping their hands on each other's shoulders.

"Well…" she said, a bit speechless. She would have normally expected them to be reserved and noble, much like the rest of the Autobots, but…no such luck. They were childish rough-housers, bugging the rest of the Autobots (more Ratchet and Ironhide than others) for fun. Leanna tossed a glance to Ironhide then to the twins, both smiling at her with a mischievous grin before walking to either side and planting a kiss on her cheeks. Sunstreaker grabbed her aft, Sideswipe grabbing her thigh, both fondling a bit while Ironhide fumed a bit and was about to open fire until he realized he would have shot at Leanna if he did. She flushed in outrage and when both pulled away, Leanna leapt up and did a splits in mid-air, the twins' heads snapping back as she kicked at them. She then proceeded to punch Sunstreaker in the chest while elbowing Sideswipe in the gut, knocking the wind out of them and making them fall back, heaving slightly.

"Ok, what kind of person comes up and kisses someone, first of all," she questioned, leaning over Sunstreaker first, "And second, I'm Ironhide's, so hands off boys." She leaned over Sideswipe after, having stared both straight in their pained optics. Leanna flipped her hair and walked over to Ironhide, letting him wrap a protective arm around her to rest on her hip while he opened fire. Leanna later joined the fun and the two yelped in pain as they tried to put out the "accidental" fire that had appeared on their chests. Leanna shook her head as the twins ran past them, crying about how Ironhide's new girlfriend had torched them. She put her newly-installed flame thrower away and Ironhide looked at her impressed.

"Nice firepower," he told her.

"Nice cannons," she shot back, lovingly stroking the one next to her hip before kissing his cheek, "Now I think we better go before Ratchet comes here. I'm sure Ratchet doesn't like them either and now that we sent them over to him, he might be a little angry." Ironhide nodded and they bolted, running past the exasperated medic as the twins were running around with Ratchet trying to put the fires out with his extinguisher.

"Hey, you two, come back!" Ratchet had yelled, Leanna and Ironhide already having fled the scene in their automobile forms, both smiling at each other before zooming away into the sunset. Ratchet sighed, finally getting the fire out on both of their chests, the twins coming to Ratchet with guilty, but playful expressions.

"I warned you two…" Ratchet said, turning away and getting his area cleaned up before turning back to the twins, "Ironhide has a new spark mate who's just as ferocious as he is. I'd watch my step around her if I were you. She even beat Optimus." At this, the twins looked at each other in silence before grinning.

"That is awesome!" Sunstreaker exclaimed, coming over to Ratchet and sitting on his once clean medical table.

"Yeah, you gotta tell us what else she can do!" Sideswipe leapt on the other table and Ratchet sighed. It was going to be a long night. Meanwhile, Leanna was racing Ironhide, both enjoying the wind in their grill as she led him a spot away from the city. She had discovered it when she was in her darkest hour, where Ratchet found her crying her optics out after Ironhide had accidentally dumped her. Leanna transformed and sat next to the tree, her hand touching the blue grass, made from her tears. Ironhide sat down next to her, bringing her close and nuzzling her in affection.

"Ironhide…" she whispered, Ironhide instantly drawing his face away, "I love you." He smiled and told her the same, hugging her to his body and laying down, Leanna curling into his warm arms and she sighed. She looked to the moon and then remembered that he was from another planet, one that was destroyed, but could be brought back with the Allspark, the one currently keeping her body in the form of an Autobot. She sighed again, only in more of a resigned tone, making Ironhide look down.

"What is wrong?" Ironhide asked her, "Is it the twins, the ones inside you or the other ones?" Leanna had to give a gentle laugh at his concern.

"Neither…" she said a bit sadly, the smile still on her face as Ironhide just became more confused, "Neither…" She repeated as she put her hand on her stomach almost as if in thought and remembrance. Leanna almost immediately snuggled into Ironhide's grasp and he just shook his head before hugging her again.

"Leanna…" he said softly, catching some of her hair on his fingers as he attempted to brush them away from her face, "Something _is_ troubling you…" She sighed as she kissed his chest before pulling away a bit with a sad look in her optics.

"Ironhide…" she began, "What will happen after this? After the Allspark, after…after the twins…what will you do? I've been thinking a lot lately, and even though it's been making my brain hurt, I think it was for the best. Ironhide…will you leave me after you have the Allspark?" Ironhide was stunned by her question.

"No…no!" he told her, taking her shoulders as her head turned away, "I would never leave you! I love you! And with the sparklings, there's more reason for me to stay!" Leanna looked back at him with a small smile.

"Ironhide…" she said, her optics turning down, "If the Allspark leaves my body…I…I might become human…or dead again…either one…" She left it at that as Ironhide's grasp loosened in realization of her words. She felt the energon tears come again, the shimmering blue that fell down in beads down her metallic face. Ironhide used one hand to wipe them away from her left eye, tracing the black decal that the tears followed.

"I would still love you," he told her gently, hugging her again, "I would never let you die." She started sobbing as he said these words, the love in them almost overwhelming her as she began again feeling the sanctity of having a family. She would never have parents or another sister or brother, that she understood. But, she would become a parent herself now and she had a loving…husband? She once again thought of the implications of the word. They were spark mates, as Ironhide had so eloquently put it, so did that mean that they were married? Leanna shrugged it off as Ironhide kissed her and lowered her to the ground to cover her body, fitting his body to hers.

"I believe you," she whispered to him as she smiled softly. She felt so safe in his arms, her body covered by his as if he were to protect her. She kissed his chest again and he lifted off of her a moment, his chest once again opening up and he took the spark casing off, letting her peer into its depths as he over shadowed her once more.

"It's beautiful," she told him, a hand coming up to trace the circular metal that surrounded the blue and white force. Ironhide stifled a moan for the sake of the moment, though she could clearly see the shifting colors that she had unintentionally stirred up. The blue and the white were spinning, a light shade of pink actually mixing in with the swirls. She giggled as she tentatively touched a small tendril of energy that was jumping out of the spark, the feeling tickling her finger. Leanna then brushed the sphere of spark, feeling its almost soft, fuzzy texture, making Ironhide break and he moaned loudly, Leanna grinning at him slyly.

"Hmm…if I just…" she suggested, his optics looking at her with a somewhat dimmed look. Leanna gathered as much spark energy as she could into the tip of her finger and her finger made a swirl, circling the entrance of his spark until it touched the sphere itself. Ironhide was trying not to collapse on his mate, but when he felt the energy contact with his spark, he felt a little weak-kneed and his legs dropped his hips onto hers. She gasped at the contact, feeling his pelvic make contact with her own, obviously much more sensitive than her partner.

"Damn…" she mumbled, Ironhide giving her a sly grin of his own, rubbing the pelvic area onto hers and she moaned loudly, "Ironhide…are we going to spark twice or is it just my imagination?"

"No, it's just you," Ironhide told her, pulling away to leave a flushed and disappointed Leanna, "Just you…" She knew what it was, but she couldn't help it. Leanna was already turned on and she didn't want to have to live through the painful process of cooling down slowly. She got up, her hair a bit wild as she stared at Ironhide, Ironhide just sitting there looking at the moon, looking oblivious. He turned his optics to her once and gave a mocking grin, Leanna giving a smirk of her own. She crawled on all fours like a cat and stalked him, her hindquarters up in the air and Ironhide turned to stare. She crawled up to him, her hands trailing on the inside of his thighs, the outside of his hips, up his stomach and then resting on the sides of his chest, pushing him to the ground. She gave a deep purr, rubbing her chest against his in a suggestive manner, her own pelvic area rubbing against his lightly.

"And now…it's just you," Leanna shot back, her voice husky as she tried to manipulate him into sparking, "_All_ you…" She gave another suggestive rubbing of the chests before trailing downwards off of him and his optics followed her. He was severely disappointed as she slid off with no action, but she gave him a playful smirk as she looked at him expectantly.

"Primus, I give!" he moaned as he shot up and knocked her into the ground, kissing her with a passion. Again, the two sparked, those driving by thinking that some idiot was throwing fire crackers every which way. They lit up the sky, which is how the three Autobots found them. Ratchet was trying to find the couple when the twins began tagging along, constantly asking Ratchet about Ironhide's new "kick-aft" spark mate. Ratchet transformed at Leanna's mourning spot, his optics widening as he saw the display, instantly turning away and grabbing the twins by the collars as they tried to watch.

"Hey, we wanna see the action!" Sunstreaker whined, his limbs flailing as the older mech picked them up.

"I think I saw some aft there!" Sideswipe exclaimed, putting a hand over his optics due to the sparking.

"Honestly, to think they'd actually do it there…" Ratchet sighed, shaking his head while hoisting the two troublesome twins over his shoulder, carrying them easily despite his medic status. Meanwhile, the two were making the sky light up light the 4th of July, which oddly made many turn off their televisions or pull over on a beach somewhere, anywhere to see the love-made lights. The lights were all kinds of colors, all kinds of shapes, but the main thing was that there was always a sort of wonderful beauty to them, made by two people who love each other.

* * *

chiv-id: Well, wasn't that a good chapter!

Ironhide and Leanna: (sleeping again, chiv-id puts yellow tape around the whole area to keep out everyone else)

chiv-id: Okay, nothing to see!

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe: Aw, come on! We wanna see!

chiv-id: Sorry minors, no can do!

S-twins: Primus, we never get to see any action!

chiv-id: Well, you probably never will with your guys' immature attitudes! Jeez, did you guys ever hit puberty yet? And I'm guessing you guys are virgins, right?

Sunstreaker: Shut up...

Sideswipe: ...Well, actually...

Sunstreaker: What? I can't believe you sparked before me?!?

Sideswipe: ...I took too much high-grade energon and...well...remember that kind of older femm, the green one?

Sunstreaker and everyone else: (stares) ... (Sunstreaker) I can't believe you sparked with that old thing!?!?! (starts rolling around holding stomach)

Sideswipe: Sh-shut up! (starts fighting with Sunstreaker)

chiv-id: What did I say about fighting?!? (off-lines them with pots) (sighs) I'm going to need a new carpet...eww, the blue stuff's everywhere! (sighs again) Well, please give reviews. It boosts my confidence. By the way, how do you check how many people have looked at your story? Like, people are saying they got like 1000 hits or something like that...if anyone can tell me, please put it in their reviews!


	15. Mission Denied

chiv-id: Wow, it's been at least 3 months since I updated...sorry to all of my reviewers and readers, got really caught up in school work!

Leanna and Ironhide: The hell/Pit you've been.

chiv-id: (sweatdropping) Hey...heheheh...uh, long time no see, huh guys? Guys?

Leanna: Honestly, a little committment would be nice once in a while...

chiv-id: ...Uh...sorry?

Leanna: Hold her arms, I got her legs.

chiv-id: (nervous sweatdropping) Oh...look at the time...(starts running away)

Ratchet: (watching Leanna and Ironhide chasing chiv-id) Well...

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, but she does own Leanna...please read before the author becomes cannon fodder...

* * *

What It Means To Be Human

Chapter 14: Mission Denied

Ironhide growled at Leanna as she started reaching for another energon cube, Leanna grinning sheepishly as Optimus continued to give out the plan. Leanna sighed as Ironhide took the last cube left on the counter and put it right next to him, away from Leanna. She was supremely hungry, or at least that was what her cravings told her, making her yearn for the energon. Ratchet spied on the two love birds, coming over as soon as Leanna began moving for the energon again.

"Leanna, please listen, you're going to have to play a part, too," Ratchet scolded, Ironhide smirking at his mate, Leanna frowning. Ratchet then moved to put a hand on her stomach and Ironhide glared at Ratchet, but Ratchet held him back.

"Don't worry, I'm just checking," Ratchet said, Optimus and the others turning to look at Ratchet's daily check, "Yes, the twins are doing fine, and although I don't blame you for being so hungry, I suggest you keep the consuming to a minimum. These cravings you have are not normal for our kind, probably something from the human side of you, and the amount of energon you are drinking might do something to the sparklings…" Leanna looked down worriedly and thought about her actions.

'I guess it's like when a mother has too much alcohol, it gets passed to her kids and then…they get screwed up…' she thought and she gripped her stomach protectively and gently, Ironhide coming over.

"Sorry Optimus, please continue," Leanna apologized, Optimus continuing with his operation, Leanna turning to Ironhide, "Sorry babe…"

"Now, as I was saying," Optimus drew the attention back to him, "I am sure that the Decepticons are still recovering from the attack and it would be wise to strike while they were still down. If we can force them into to surrender, we can secure a brighter future for both Transformers and humans alike. Autobots, you all have your orders, we will carry out the plan tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, let's get the preparations ready, dismissed!" The rest of the Autobots left and went to get ready for the operation, recharging weapons, fortifying their armor, leaving Optimus to stare at Ratchet, Ironhide, and Leanna.

"Leanna, Ironhide, if you would stay a few minutes," Optimus spoke up, both Autobots stopping and looking at Optimus, "Ratchet, would you care to tell them?"

"Yes, well," Ratchet began, "I believe that humans mate and then produce their young after perhaps 9 months? Femms of our planet normally give birth after around perhaps 3 of your human years. Estimating the time you will give birth will make your birth to be perhaps…a little less than two years." Leanna blinked as she worked out the math, biting her lip component as she realized that she could be giving birth when the Allspark would leave her.

"But…that means that I might give birth…" Leanna continued to look to her stomach, "When…when…Ratchet, what's going to happen?" Ratchet shook his head in reply, not really sure of it himself.

"For now, we will monitor the twins," Optimus told Leanna, coming over and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, staring down at her, "You are very important to us Leanna, you are one of us, and will continue to be one of us even when the Allspark leaves you. We are family, all of us." Leanna smiled happily at him, Optimus returning the smile, but he had a surprised expression on his face as she hugged him.

"Thank you for the words," Leanna told him, Ironhide respecting the moment, despite the jealousy brewing beneath in his spark case, "Thank you." Optimus nodded and she let him go to prepare for the battle the next day, Ratchet following close after. Ironhide wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling the back of her neck. Leanna smiled gently again and her antennas flicked a bit in acknowledgment.

"Well, aren't we affectionate?" she mocked him, knowing that Ironhide had been acting more possessive than usual ever since news got out she was pregnant. She turned around and kissed him, Ironhide returning it and putting his head on hers, wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight embrace.

"Well, you _are_ carrying our sparklings," Ironhide retorted softly, guiding her to their room where he laid out the plans, particularly her part in the plan in front of her, "Be safe, this mission is very dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt." She playfully punched him in the shoulder and he turned in confusion.

"Hey, I've been through worse and I'm sure I can take on that asshole any day. Starscream…he'll be screaming to the stars when I'm through with him!" she said, her fiery spirit bringing a smile to Ironhide's face. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders squeezed, Leanna smiling back up at him sweetly.

"Don't worry, I'll let you have a few blasts when I'm through," she giggled, making Ironhide chuckle.

"Get to work you two!" Ratchet called, making them jump and go their separate ways. Leanna was supposed to go with Ratchet to be fitted with a com-link and a new weapon, since the Allspark was now fully out of reach, being blocked by the twins supposedly. And Ironhide was supposed to be helping with the cannons and other weapons that everyone was supposed to be using.

"Alright, now how does that feel?" Ratchet stood back as Leanna's optics whirred back on, blinking as she sat up and feeling the added circular disc on the side of her head with a slender hand.

"It feels alright, like wearing headphones," Leanna grinned as she pressed it, but it emitted a loud screeching noise that had both of them cringing.

"Sorry, but, is it supposed to do that?" Leanna asked, massaging the offended audio receptor.

"No, we're not supposed to use it that closely," Ratchet managed to get out, wincing slightly, "It is similar to when humans hold microphones too closely…"

"Yeah, got that part down," Leanna joked before wincing again. Ironhide peered in, also rubbing the side of his head.

"Okay, who put the com-links together?" Ironhide grumbled.

"Sorry, babe, my bad," Leanna smiled and waved at him. Ironhide shook his head slightly, but gave back a smile as he left.

"You know, I think he's gotten less aggravated ever since you came into his cycles," Ratchet chuckled, tuning the com-link on her head a little better.

"Yeah, he's grumpy all right," Leanna remarked, "But he's a sweetheart to be honest. Just gotta know his 'weak spots'." Ratchet and Leanna shared a few laughs and a conversation before Leanna trotted over to Prime.

"So, you say that it was this room here that Megatron and the other Decepticons were placed?" Optimus asked, pointing to the non-existent room on the floor plans of the base.

"Yeah, but Ironhide knocked the wall down, can't miss it," she giggled, remembering how he had barreled through the "impenetrable" steel to get to her. She stopped though as she pondered and Optimus turned to her as soon as the mood got serious…or at least more serious.

"What is it?" asked Optimus, standing up fully and making her strain her neck to look at him.

"Well, you said that the Decepticons were dumped in the Mariana Trench, right? That's the deepest place on Earth. How does a bot like Barricade get 4 or 5 bigger Decepticons out of a cold and pressurized space that's underwater, like under billions upon billions of gallons of water? It's not possible…" Optimus nodded, understanding her question.

"I, myself, have difficult believing that a non-aquatic machine like Barricade can retrieve his fellow Decepticons with such ease and efficiency…perhaps he had help," Optimus thought out loud, "Although, I know of no Decepticons who can withstand such conditions." Leanna didn't like where the conversation was heading as she realized how it could have been possible with human help.

"You know what, we can talk about that after," Leanna told Optimus, Optimus turning down to her in acknowledgement, "Let's just get this part over with." And so, Optimus went over the plan with her and she sighed mentally.

'_I see you have been busy_,' the Allspark spoke up randomly, making Leanna jump. Optimus looked at her with a confused expression.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, Leanna shaking her head.

"Just give me a moment, it's the Allspark," she assured him. She tuned in to her body-mate and found that the Allspark's voice was now at its fullest.

'_Leanna, the twins wanted to say hi, if you were wondering,_' the Allspark mentioned, Leanna mentally sending a wave of surprise at it.

'How…?' she asked, the Allspark chuckling.

'_They're my children as much as yours, dear_,' it replied, '_And they love you as much as you love them. I can communicate with them, after all, we share the same host. The boy says he wants to be named Rambo and the girl Silverwind…I suppose…the Rambo is from your side?_' Leanna giggled mentally, Rambo being the name of a super soldier guy who was the toughest of the tough…she guessed he was going to be just like his father. Silverwind…a gentle beauty was what she thought of when she heard the name. She grinned, Optimus raising an optic ridge, her optics still off-line.

'_Anyhow, I wanted to discuss something of importance with you, before I go back to tending to the twins_,' the Allspark said, Leanna sending a small spark of confusion to the entity.

'_"_Tending the twins?' Wait, you're telling me the reason why you've never spoken up till now is because you were playing with them and monitoring them?' she thought to her, a feeling of gratitude coming up, 'Thank you so much!'

'_No trouble, no trouble at all_,' the Allspark chuckled, '_They're a delight to be honest. Now, I wanted to tell you that I know of your predicament with the pregnancy_,' Leanna pressed her to continue, '_I will stay as long as I can with you, and I can delay the full formation of my own solid body for about…say two months? If you can have the twins during that time period, you may have a safe birthing._' Joy welled up inside her and she began to feel elation, the twins' were going to be all right!

'Thank you!' she cried out to the Allspark before returning to the real world.

"So, what was the Allspark talking to you about, may I ask?" asked Optimus. The grin seemed to make him more curious.

"Oh, the twins are all right and that I'll have them still in my Autobot form," she said happily, and Optimus beamed.

"That is good news," he congratulated, her grin still plastered on her face.

"And I know their names, too," she said, a secret smile on her face that made the leader want to know exactly what she was thinking, "Anyways, so what am I supposed to do?" Getting back to business, Optimus directed her to be the secondary scout for the mission. While the Autobots were raiding the already raided-Decepticon base, she would act as the replacement scout. Bumblebee would have to fight along with them, since the Decepticons, though mostly rookies, would likely have been trained more thoroughly this time and they needed all the help they could get. Equipping Bumblebee with a better weapons system was the only guarantee that the smaller bot would be able to manage to muscle his Decepticon rivals out of the battle. Leanna, however, didn't expect the oversized cannon that Ironhide was forcing on poor Bumblebee whose optics were shifting from left to right to find somewhere to get away from the weapons' specialist.

"Soldier, get back here," he yelled, trying to grab Bumblebee but the little yellow bot managed to leap away and ran for safety. Seeing Leanna, he quickly cowered behind her, the black bot's expression softening into one of embarrassment and happiness.

"Ah, I see you've finished with Optimus," he spoke, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, and I hope you're done picking on Bee here," she scolded, turning around and hugging him sideways, "Poor guy's had enough don't you think?" Bumblebee nodded and gave a grateful hum, though was a bit nervous as Ironhide's gaze hardened a bit. Ironhide sighed though and turned him loose, the scout giving another thankful buzz.

"Kid's going to have to get it sometime today," Ironhide growled, staring at the cannon in his hand, "His blasters aren't going to hold up to bots like the Decepticons."

"Well, I think his cannons are good enough," Leanna said, playfully snatching the cannon away from him, holding it on her own arm, "After all, this thing would probably weigh more than his whole body." When Ironhide reached for it, she made sure to keep it out of his grasp and danced away. With graceful and swift steps, Leanna had Ironhide scrambling and laughing as he chased her. Finally, she stood still, finding herself in the corner and she smiled sheepishly up at her spark mate. Ironhide put a hand on the cannon, but she still refused to give it to him, thinking he would let her keep it to fit it to her own framework. Holding it up high above her head away from him with both hands, Leanna grinned as Ironhide gave a small frown and then a playful smirk.

"Hm…I suppose you want the cannon for yourself, I see," he chuckled, looking as if he were turning away, but then pinning Leanna's wrists above her head, the cannon released in surprise. With a loud thunk, it fell onto the floor without notice.

"If you want it, then you'll have to give something in return," Ironhide bargained, but then put both of Leanna's wrists within one hand and used the free one to tap his chin, "But what to ask for?" Leanna squirmed a bit as she saw the smallest devilish smile he had ever given her as he looked down. He said nothing more, preferring action as his head bent down and began nibbling on her neck. She stifled a moan, but she knew the bot could feel her breathing quicken a bit. His free hand grabbed her waist and he lifted her up, still pinning her hands to the wall, so that he could have better access to her neck.

"I…Ironhide," she whispered as she felt him prop her up on his hips. She was already getting a little hot, but then an "ahem" was heard and they froze.

"Hate to break it up," Jazz said with a smirk, crossing his arms, "But I thought it was my turn to get 'tuned-up'. I was after Bumblebee, remember?" Ironhide carefully put her down and they both smiled at him nervously.

"So, you won't tell anyone, right?" Leanna asked, "Optimus would kill us if he knew we were fooling around…" Jazz smiled and nodded, but then came forward and kissed her on the cheek. Looking surprised, Leanna touched it and Ironhide frowned.

"'Ey," Jazz grinned, "Hafta give somethin' in return, right?" Leanna giggled, Jazz giving another kiss on the other cheek. Leanna had to hold Ironhide back as he heated up a cannon.

"You're such a hot head…" she said, trying to cool him down as Ironhide growled at Jazz, "_And_ a hottie…" This surprised Ironhide and he looked down, Leanna planting a kiss on his lips. Smiling, she drew back and Ironhide backed down, Leanna sighing as she found that the fight was avoided.

"Hey Jazz!" said Sunstreaker.

"Ironhide, Leanna, hey!" said Sideswipe. The twins came over, smiling at Ironhide who wrapped a protective arm around her waist and drew her close. Leanna only giggled at them and made Ironhide relinquish his hold, coming over to them.

"Okay boys," she said, one hand on one of their shoulders, "Now I want you to behave, or I'll have to come over and torch you guys for harassing my man, all right? Now go and get your upgrades, kids." They nodded and barreled into Ironhide, pestering him to give them the best. Leanna giggled as she saw an exasperated Ironhide thwack one on the head as Sideswipe tried to touch one of Ironhide's cannons. Jazz also laughed, but came over to help Ironhide as he saw him get frustrated and pull out another arm cannon. Leanna shook her head: due to their little pow-wow, she just made everything back up like in traffic. Seeing as how she was well-off as it was, Leanna came over and pulled Sunstreaker over to her. Thinking she was going to pull the flamethrower on him, the yellow bot cowered and put his hands in front of his face and chest.

"Hold still, I'm not going to flame you," she reassured him, grabbing an okay-sized cannon that would be a good match for Sunstreaker. Pulling him over to a table, Leanna made him sit down on it and gently lifted his right arm. Calling upon the Allspark's power, she painlessly administered the cannon into his weapons' system, making sure that she didn't twist or mess-up anything in it. After rearranging his system to fit the cannon in, Leanna opened her optics to look into Sunstreaker's wide ones. Patting his arm, she stepped back and let him try it out for himself.

"Awesome," he said, pulling out the cannon and admiring it. Sideswipe, watching the whole thing restrained under Ironhide's headlock, struggled and pulled free, running over and giving her the cannon he wanted to install. Shaking her head, but smiling, Leanna obliged and helped out the grateful Ironhide who decided to work on Jazz. Jazz pouted a little as he saw that Leanna was tending to the twins, Ironhide forcibly making sure that Jazz didn't go anywhere near his spark mate. Even Bumblebee snuck in, only to get captured once more and held down by Ironhide. He frantically buzzed and hummed for Leanna, her head turning as soon as she put the finishing touches on Sideswipe.

"I've got him," she said, taking Bumblebee from a frowning Ironhide, "C'mon Bee, I've got a cannon upgrade that's _perfect_ for you." Happy, Bumblebee never felt so relieved as he was pulled out of Ironhide's arms into Leanna's.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Optimus, strolling forth into the weapons room. Spying the amount of patients Leanna had as opposed to Ironhide; it wasn't hard to guess who was the best at keeping their cool.

"Sure, just a sec," Leanna mumbled, her eyes closed and she was wiggling her fingers to make sure that she'd get the last wires hooked up, "Don't want to screw this up, I might end up making Bumblebee's head and arms switched if I don't do this right." Bumblebee tensed in her grasp, but she smiled and finished.

"I was kidding Bee," she told him, kissing his arm as if he had a scratch, "Geez, I thought you were the kid of the group…before those two came in." Rubbing the back of his head, Bumblebee smiled at her and gave a hum. Optimus then began to explain the plan one last time, looking to Leanna specifically after.

"…And take care of yourself, Leanna. Of all the Autobots, I fear for your safety the most," he told her, everyone nodding in agreement. Leanna had become the light of their lives, the only femm within a 100 light-year radius, and everyone loved her dearly. Also, with the prospect of the twins, she was their best shot at repopulating.

"Don't worry," she said, "With Ironhide and the rest of you by my side, I'm sure nothing bad's going to…" Leanna stopped, trailing off as she felt funny, the world suddenly twisting and turning before her eyes and she blinked. Ironhide came over, concerned, and shook her.

"Leanna?" he asked, Leanna's optics suddenly off-lining and she fell into his arms, "LEANNA?!?" Ratchet dashed over, checking her. Going back online, she groaned and then gave a yelp of pain as Ratchet touched her stomach.

"Leanna, are you all right?" asked Ratchet, removing his hand.

"No…something…it feels funny, I…" she tried to describe it, but another shock crashed into her system and she spasmed, "Gah, what the fuck?!?" She snarled as she looked down and saw in horror that something was shifting in her stomach. The sparklings were moving inside of her, one ball of light coming up and stretching her stomach and then moving down. Finally, the twins settled down, but they glowed contentedly as it seemed as though they had created more space. Noticing this, Ratchet put another hand on her stomach, but she didn't feel a thing. Leanna felt sick again, covering her mouth.

"Oh god, wait," she said, getting up and running outside. After throwing up, she felt much better, but turned and saw that everyone with worried faces was staring at her. Shakily brushing some hair out of her face, she smiled.

"I'm…I'm…" she tried to say fine, but she knew she wasn't, "Oh god, what's happening to me?" Ironhide approached her and pulled her into his grasp, hugging her and she felt safe once more. Leanna felt so terrified, for her and her children.

"Leanna…normal human pregnancy…we need more information," Ratchet told her shakily.

"Well, when women get pregnant," she began slowly, "Their stomachs start getting bigger and bigger so that they can support the development of the babies…" The medic nodded and came over, touching her stomach. Running diagnostics, Ratchet found that her stomach had indeed swelled, the sparks actually having grown just a bit bigger.

"I believe that's what's happening with you, Leanna," Ratchet told her, "But I believe that this sort of development will be minimal. Sparks do not normally grow, but yours are a little small." She nodded, relieved a bit that it didn't hurt her twins. Ironhide kissed her forehead, glad as well.

"I suggest that, Leanna, you should stay," Optimus said, honestly concerned, "If you become incapacitated during the mission…"

"No, I can do it," she told him, wincing a bit as she stepped forward, "Just have to make sure not to trip on myself." The other Autobots turned and looked at each other, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stepping forward and actually holding one arm each.

"Hey! What-what are you doin'? Let me go!" she snarled, struggling against their grasp, "Optimus, I'm fine! Really, guys, trust me!"

"I'm sorry, Leanna," Optimus replied, walking up to her, "We don't want you to get hurt…" Optimus nodded his head and the twins dragged her to her room, locking her in. As an extra precaution, Optimus set the double doors, a second door closing on the first, to make sure she didn't try and blast her way out.

"Don't cause yourself too much stress, Leanna!" Ratchet yelled, hearing the dull thuds of her hands on the doors, "You'll be stressing the sparklings as well!" The thuds stopped and were replaced by total silence, but a sort of muffled cry of frustration came through before it reigned.

"C'mon, no way I can't go just because of this!" she cried, pouting and staring at her stomach, "Kids, I love you, but mommy really wants to go!"

'_They were a bit cramped, Leanna_,' the Allspark replied a bit apologetically, '_I suppose they decided to make room for themselves…_' Sighing, Leanna sat down on the bed and smiled as she put a hand on her stomach.

"Ah, kids," she said, "What're ya gonna do about 'em?" It was weird for her since she had never been a mother before, yet it was as if it were written in her system. She patted her stomach absentmindedly before lying down on the bed and just closed her optics, smiling.

"Hey, Allspark," she said, "Can I at least know…if I…you know, make it?"

'_Make what?_' it returned, curious as to what she meant.

"Well, live. I was dead when you…'bonded' with me. I just want to know if I live after we separate," Leanna told the entity, the Allspark remaining silent. Leanna also went quiet and didn't say anything more. She honestly feared the answer and if it was what she thought it was going to be…

"Allspark…take care of 'em if I don't make it, okay?" she said, an energon tear forming in one optic, "I guess…I guess it's like you said. You're as much their mother as I am…so if I die when you separate from me, you know, be a good mom for me." The Allspark continued to be silent and Leanna just cried, curling into the bed.

* * *

chiv-id: Okay, okay, please, I'll update another one soon, okay! I promise!

Leanna: (glares) How do we know you will?

chiv-id: I give my word...besides, if I decide to drop this whole series, you won't exist anymore...wait, that means _I'm_ in the position of power, you metal mahoo! Let go of me!

Leanna: Crap, didn't think she'd figure it out...

chiv-id: Well, after that little episode...please vote! Oh, one more thing...

**I'M GOING TO HAVE A CONTEST!!! **And the contest is going to be for drawers and writers alike! I'm coming out with a few new series, and to the two people who are the winners of the drawing and writing contest will get a little preview of my new stories.

**SO, STEP RIGHT UP, AND HERE'S THE RULES!!!** All you guys have to do is either a) draw me a super-uber cool picture of any of my OCs from my stories in any instance (though I advise not to draw my characters with their Transformers and doing 'the act') or b) write me a one-shot of any of my OCs and their Transformers. I hope everyone will have fun on this, and if you do happen to submit to this contest, please send me a private message or you can just put up a review...I like reviews...


	16. Spider Slut

chiv-id: Woot, another chapter updated! It's been over a month since I did this one.

Leanna: Damn right.

chiv-id: Look, you keep being mad at me everytime I don't upload a story fast enough and I'm going to have to drop you.

Leanna: ...

chiv-id: Exactly, so please understand, I have a shit-load of stuff to do and I'm extremely stressed right now...geez.

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers, that's Hasbro. But she does own Leanna. Read!!

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Chapter 15: Spider Slut

"All right," Optimus said, everyone crouched down in the forest that surrounded the Decepticon base, "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, go!" The twins nodded and they walked out of the forest, easily tripping the alarm system. When the twins saw the Decepticons swarm out of their base like bees, they fired off a few shots from their cannons, catching a few of them on the shoulder and in the chest. When the Decepticons got close enough, the two Autobots transformed and sped away, the newbie Decepticons easily getting ticked off and chasing after them. Quickly, Jazz rolled out and used his electromagnetic hands to screw with the lift and door mechanism, leaving the base open.

"Autobots, move!" Optimus told the rest of the Autobots, everyone piling into the base and cautiously looking around to see who was left. Once Optimus and Jazz had gotten in after everyone else, the doors closed shut and the lights turned on, showing that there were still quite a few Decepticons left.

"The puny Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime," Starscream smirked, "Thought you might come." Ironhide noticed Shockwave who actually shrank back behind the lines from him, making the black bot grin with a sadistic smile. He also saw Barricade who braved the glare of the weapon's specialist.

"We will give you 5 clicks to surrender," Optimus warned, "Or we will force you to surrender. Which will it be?"

"Honestly Prime," Starscream scolded, "I thought you'd know us better than that." Suddenly, the silver Decepticon launched himself forward with his boosters and tackled Optimus, who caught him and threw him aside, starting the battle. Ironhide set to knocking a few newbie Decepticon heads together until he heard a hissing noise. Turning around, he saw a flying knee that rammed into his face and he landed on his back. The knee removed itself and he saw a black and purple femm standing over him. She smiled and bared her fangs as if she'd found a tasty meal.

"Hello there," she hissed, then screeched as he threw her off. He quickly lost himself in the crowd, creeped out by the four gleaming red optics of the femm, two of them on one side winking at him before he disappeared. Meanwhile, Leanna felt a strange odd feeling in the pit of her gut, as if it were warning her of something.

'_Is there something wrong?_' asked the Allspark, Leanna nodding. She stood up and, with a cool demeanor, instantly pulled out a high-beam laser that easily cut through the twin doors, courtesy of the obliging Allspark.

'Why the hell didn't I think of that before?' she asked herself, running out of the doorway, 'Honestly, I'm dumb, but not that dumb…and I don't want either you or the twins to say anything right now or I swear I will…I will…'

'_Will what?_' asked the Allspark amused.

'Wait until I find something good to say to you…just you wait,' Leanna sourly replied, finally reaching the hangar and transforming. Oddly enough, the twins expansion didn't do anything to her frame, her Camaro form looking just as sleek as it had been before she was pregnant. She zoomed forth, hearing odd scraping noises ahead of her and saw that the twins were battling the many noob Decepticons who were crowding around them. (chiv-id: sorry, I love saying noobs…and putting that word with Depepticons…it's always fun to do that!)

"Is that all you bots got? Come on, my assembling unit's got more firepower than you!" (chiv-id: Assembling unitmom or dad…whichever you think is more insulting)

"Yeah, come on, I can take all you guys on!"

'Those effing idiots…' Leanna thought, driving forth. She saw a couple of Decepticons trying to snipe the twins, standing at the back of the crowd. When it looked like they had locked on, she drove faster and swerved, catching both their feet and attention. Half of the crowd turned towards her as she transformed, pulling out various weapons that made some of their mouthpieces drop.

"Bring it," she shouted, firing her first cannon like a machine gun, one then two Deceptions going down before they tried to charge her. Flamethrower combined with machine gun cannon, plasma cannon combined with a missile launcher…gotta love the potentiality of being the host of an entity that can provide you with limitless ammo and a whole lot of creativity for alien weapons.

"Leanna, howzit!" Sunstreaker yelled, beating up a few Decepticons.

"How'd ya escape?" asked Sideswipe, taking another Decepticon with a whirlwind of a punch.

"You really wanna know?" she asked, both of them screaming yes, "You asked for it." As she saw a huge Deception approach the twins, attempting to crush them both, she used her high-beam laser, swinging it wildly instead of focusing it on one spot. After she slashed a couple of times, the red beams crazily dancing on the Decepticon's armor, nothing happened. The Decepticon had stopped, but he eventually began smoking and sparking, the Decepticon suddenly falling to pieces, literally. They all stared in awe at the high-beam laser's damage and they turned towards her.

"And that's how I got out," she told them, smirking as the newbie Decepticons fled in the presence of the dangerous Autobot femm, "Now, how come you guys are over here?"

"Well, we were supposed to lure the rest of the Decepticon force out here-"

"Which we did-"

"And then get back to Optimus and the gang-"

"Which we will be doing now."

"Can I come?" asked Leanna, biting her lip and looking at them with a cute pout, "Please, I promise I won't do anything to screw up the mission. Besides, I just saved your asses from being pancaked by King Kong over there, so you owe me one." Sighing and nodding, the boys let her come and she squealed hugging them.

"Yes!" she screamed, driving away with them. Meanwhile, Ironhide managed to get to Shockwave once more and he grinned murderously at him. The turret Decepticon was scared out of his central processor, off-lining in terror again. Seeing as how he put another one out of commission, Ironhide turned to find the purple and black femm once more before him, hungrily devouring him with her eyes.

"I always liked the tall ones," she giggled in a distorted voice. If he could blanch, Ironhide probably would have been white as a sheet. It wasn't that she wasn't sexy or hot or anything, which she was, it was because of the evil look in her eyes, all four of them, and the two menacing looking appendages that was placed on her back that loomed over her shoulders. Ironhide growled and quickly shot off a round of plasma at her, missing as she quickly dodged. She was quick, he had to give her that.

"Too bad they're always too slow," she giggled again. Ironhide quickly ran off into the crowd, still a many of the Decepticons there going strong. The femm only smirked as she saw her prey flee.

"Mine," she hissed, licking her lips, quickly moving to find him again. Going back to Leanna…

"Shit, what is with this weird feeling?" asked Leanna, the twins paying no mind as the base came into view. The muffled sounds of whining and scraping metal were heard, as well as cannons and rifles.

"Here we are, I think Jazz might have left something here for us to…here it is!" Sideswipe eagerly picked up the lift device and the doors opened wide for them as he pressed the green button that said "open".

"Wow…" Leanna muttered, seeing green, blue, and white plasma shots fly up into the air. They stared in, Sunstreaker having to duck back down as one shot nearly clipped his head.

"I'm thinking we should wait a little," Sideswipe winced as he saw Bumblebee get smacked by a larger Starscream who laughed maniacally.

"Yeah…wait a minute," Leanna looked a little closer and found Ironhide pushing and shoving his way through the crowd, punching Decepticons and just roughly pushing Autobots as he moved. Frowning, she saw him seemingly moving this way and that, almost aimlessly in…in…fear? What the hell?

"Get the frag away from me!" she heard him yell at someone. Leanna stood up as she heard her man say that, then her eyes widened as she heard something else.

"Mine…" said a seductively smooth and velveteen voice. She saw a purple and black femm waiting for Ironhide as he managed to get to one side, making him freeze and then run back into the crowd of fighting. She laughed as she shot out a web and swung to the other side with ease.

"Oh Primus," Sunstreaker said, "Black Arachnia…talk about mech-eater! Looks like she's got all of her four creepy eyes on…on…"

"On _MY_man…" she gritted her teeth in anger as she saw her lick her lips and actually put a hand on his chest and run it down as he got through the other side, "Oh heeeellll no this bitch ain't stealin' my man." The boys stared at her in fright as she was consumed by rage. She felt it consume her, blocking out all other things except for the zeroed-in vision on Black Arachnia and Ironhide.

"Oh I don't _believe_ this," she said in a low voice, "I don't _BELIEVE_this!" The battle was soon thinning, all the newbie Decepticons all out and only Starscream, Barricade, Shockwave (chiv-id: yes, he's awake!), Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Black Arachnia, and Jazz was left. (chiv-id: Bumblebee, you ask? Poor guy got trapped under two big dead Decepticon doosh-bags…poor Bee…)

"Hey, y'all better get down before we beat down, you feel me?" asked Jazz, his guns out and Starscream laughed.

"So you off-lined the recruits, you still have to deal with us!" Starscream declared, "Oh, and did you meet our old friend? You might remember her…" He pointed over to Black Arachnia who was fighting Ironhide, laughing and taunting him.

"You are one slow bot," she told him, but then disappeared, making him feel uneasy as he kept his cannons up. Black Arachnia then dropped down low to his audio receptors and whispered, "But that means you must be packing some serious _artillery_, right?" She sunk her two talons (the two appendages on her back) into his back and he roared, collapsing on his knees as he felt the venom spread through his system. She straddled him, sitting on his chest as she leaned forward. The Autobots were too busy to help their friend, though they tried like hell to get to him.

"Mine," she hissed again, making him shudder with disgust. Leanna had had enough and she jumped down unnoticed, the boys staring at her as she made her way over to them. She stood right behind the distracted Decepticon femm, glaring at the two as she leaned and rubbed her chassis against his.

"Oi, four-eyed bitch from hell!" she yelled, Black Arachnia sitting up and swiftly turning around to meet a fist in her face, "Get…AWAY FROM HIM!!" Suddenly, it grew very quiet as they saw the enraged Leanna punching the other femm off of Ironhide, launching her at least 30 feet away from them.

"You okay, baby?" she asked Ironhide, kneeling and stroking his face. He nodded and smiled with relief, but then frowned as he asked why she was here.

"Please, you _wanna_be raped by 'spider slut' over there?" Leanna asked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at the femm who was getting up slowly, shocked by the name calling and the blow. He shook his head after researching the subject of rape.

"Then stay here, babe, 'cause it's gonna get ugly," she said, cracking her metal knuckles as she marched over to Black Arachnia, "Ho, stay off my man or I will beat your Decepticon ass down, you hear me!" She tackled Black Arachnia who looked at Leanna for a second before being thrown to the floor. They rolled around on the floor, Leanna beating the crap out of Black Arachnia and Black Arachnia doing the same to Leanna, although with less damage. Leanna made sure the other femm didn't hit her stomach, afraid for the twins, but Leanna also didn't let up in her beatings.

"Fucking whore!"

"Fragging glitch!"

The name calling was unusual to say the least as they swore at each other in their own terms, each Decepticon and Autobot wincing every time one landed a blow on another. Fights between girls always were brutal…

"Eat this!" Leanna yelled at her, flinging out her flamethrower and blasting her with a huge gout of flames. Screaming in pain, Black Arachnia ran away and into Starscream who only knocked her aside as if she were worthless as the newbie Decepticons, actually cooling her off as she slid into the pools of energon. Curling up like a burnt bug, Black Arachnia went into stasis lock, trying to nurse her burns.

"Yeah, stay down bitch," Leanna hissed, bringing her arm back and the flamethrower retracted into her arm, "Ironhide...you okay?" Leanna sat by his side as he finally was able to move a little, wincing in pain but smiling.

"Yes, thank you," he replied, sitting up with Leanna's help. Starscream took advantage of the moment as he saw the Optimus and the other Autobots distracted. Whipping out a missile cannon, he aimed at the Autobots.

"Put it down, Star-butt," she told him, a gun already aimed at him, "'Less you wanna lose something down there." Starscream looked at her in surprise, following the aim of the gun down to his codpiece, three lights dancing there.

"Starscream, it seems as though you have been defeated by your own treachery," Optimus chuckled, the rest of the Decepticons not doing a thing as they saw their leader's life (and 'mech-hood') in danger. Suddenly, however, Optimus got serious.

"Leanna…" he began in a warning tone that made her bite her lip, "I thought I told you to-"

"'Stay at the base,'" she finished, "And let that girl take Ironhide? Honestly, would you rather have me explode here or at the base? I can hear everything on the com-link, remember?" She tapped the circular disc on the side of her head and Optimus tipped his head grudgingly.

"Still…" Optimus told her sternly, "You put your life in danger by being here…not to mention the others' lives as well…" She looked down, knowing that this was true.

"But Optimus, the twins are fine, I swear-eep!" she covered her mouth as she realized that she said it out loud.

"Twins? Busy, I see," Starscream smirked as the other Decepticons managed to work in a snicker before the other Autobots shoved their respective weapons in their face, "Interesting…seems that you'd have more to lose than I if _you_lose something down there." She narrowed her optics at him, Starscream grinning all the while.

"You will not touch her or the twins," Optimus said, a bit upset that the Decepticons found out about the twins, "And you will no longer threaten this planet and its inhabitants. Either you join us or prepare to join the Well of Sparks and Primus. Which will it be Decepticons?" Prime fixed his blaster on Starscream, the Autobots doing the same with their own respective Decepticon captive.

"You don't get it, do you Prime?" asked Starscream, chuckling darkly. This caused pause and Prime narrowed his gaze.

"We wouldn't _dare_harm her or her children…severely anyways," Starscream told Prime, "Sparklings, they might have the same optic glow of their parents…but their processors are blank and easy to manipulate. Face it Prime, since we keep off-lining each other and the fact that there are virtually no more femms, we're becoming extinct. Either we all become Autobots or we all become Decepticons. We can't survive if we continue this war, and with those Allspark-infused twins…things may be looking up for the Decepticons."

"You sons of glitches," Ironhide growled, the weapons specialist finally shaking off the last effects of the venom, "You'd dare make my sparklings Decepticons?!" Leanna stood up, equally outraged as she put a protective hand over her stomach.

"Yet, you have a Decepticon femm with you as is," Prime managed to reason, amazed that they'd be as bold as to steal Autobot sparklings, "Why would you want Leanna's sparklings instead?"

"Fools," Starscream told them, "Those sparklings are the product of an Allspark-infused femm, think of the possibilities! Besides, Black Arachnia…is a freak! Organic and Cybertronian, she is an abomination. Those who don't know her heritage would find out sooner or later. She is an undesirable sparkmate, no one would want her organic-Cybertronian blood mixing and creating mutant offspring."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Leanna snapped at Starscream. Everyone looked at her in surprise, considering the little rough-up they had before. Starscream's words had hit a nerve in Leanna's spark. After all, wasn't she part organic and part Cybertronian, human fused with Allspark?

"She's one of your own and yet you call her a 'freak'? What kind of cold-hearted bastard are you? Just because she's not all Cybertronian doesn't mean she doesn't deserve your respect!" Leanna hissed, Ironhide finally realizing her cause for fuss. He put a hand on her shoulder as an energon tear fell from one of her optics.

"Ah," Starscream remembered what Leanna once was and smirked, watching the unnatural tear crawl down her cheek, "You are part organic as well…the only difference between you and Black Arachnia I suppose is the Allspark…and the fact that she's a bug while you were a human."

"So, that doesn't mean she should be treated as less of a person than anyone else in this room, especially you! Sure she's a man-eating slut, but she still thinks and feels," Leanna told him, making some of the bots chuckle, but she glared and they fell silent, "I mean it!"

"Leanna," Ironhide spoke softly as to calm her and she looked at him, more energon tears threatening to fall from her angry-looking optics, "It's all right. We understand. Even I think that talking down like that on that femm is wrong. It's all right." She gave a sigh and then aimed her gun back at Starscream.

"Touch my children, you die," she hissed, "I swear to God."

"And if you don't comply with our demands, you'll die still," Optimus added, his blaster back up, "Come to our side or go to Primus, which will it be?" Starscream gave a small slip as a flash of fright went through his optics at the sight of Prime's huge blaster. However, he gave an arrogant smirk instead which made Prime's finger squeeze the blaster's trigger a little more tightly.

"Never," Starscream declared and suddenly, a huge gout of smoke and flame erupted at their feet, Starscream's voice echoing, "Don't forget our words, we will take those twins the moment they're born." Everyone began coughing, heaving as the smoke clogged their intake vents, making them overheat a little. The Decepticons made a hasty escape, leaving dead and wounded alike behind. The Autobots looked up and around as soon as the smoke cleared. Ironhide hugged Leanna as she leaned against him for support, but she stayed strong and nodded after a moment.

"Dang, missed 'em," Jazz muttered, "Should've just shot their afts and be done wit it awready."

"You know that we had to give them a chance Jazz," Prime argued, "If we didn't, how much different would we be from them?" Jazz agreed grudgingly, but kicked a piece of debris in disappointment.

"Okay, so now what?" Leanna asked, a slim chrome hand on her stomach, "And where they hell did they get smoke grenades?"

"Smoke grenades?" Prime asked.

"Yeah, see this? This is what made the smoke and the fire," she said, and they crouched down to see what she was pointing at. One grenade was a dud and they stared at the little green thing, confused.

"This…this is not Cybertronian," Ratchet observed.

"Yeah, I know," Leanna said, "So where did these come from? Were they just saving this? 'Cause they could've pulled out of here a long time ago, especially when I was aiming to blow off Starscream's-"

"Yes, I agree," Prime stopped her from completing her sentence, "Then it must have been from some kind of help…above."

"Well, we thought we saw something up there in the trees," Sunstreaker said, jumping down.

"Whatever it was, it must've been the things that threw those little green pods…" Sideswipe reasoned, jumping down after his brother.

"Grenades," Leanna corrected, "So does that mean that-oh, wait, look…" Black Arachnia, the only surviving Decepticon at the base, awoke to find dead-serious Autobots staring down at her, none of them afraid of her and none of them interested in her either.

"All right, Decepticon femm," Leanna spoke up, looking down at her, "Looks like your stuck with us. You willing to join or do we have to off-line ya?" Black Arachnia cowered as she saw Leanna pull out the flamethrower, her answer obvious and Leanna smiled in response, holding out a hand.

"I think we got off to bad start," Leanna said, "Wanna start over? I'm Leanna, and you are…?" Black Arachnia stared at her incredulously at Leanna's sudden trust. The other Autobots were equally surprised, but Ironhide knew the reason behind her friendliness. Organic Cybertronians unite…

"Black Arachnia," the ex-Decepticon femm told her, "Nice…nice to meet you Leanna." She took Leanna's hand and Leanna's smile broadened as she helped Black Arachnia to her feet. The spider femm was so confused, but she truly felt genuine kindness emanating from Leanna, something she had not received in a long while. So alien did it feel that Black Arachnia stumbled back a bit in disbelief as Leanna began dusting her off, but Leanna caught her and she smiled again. Black Arachnia, not sure as to why the femm that had tried to kill her after she tried to take her mech would want to be friends with her now, only smiled back faintly before falling back into stasis in shock.

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chiv-id: All right, I'm sorry for making Black Arachnia a slut, but I made up for it by making her an ex-'Con. How's that for a chapter?

Black Arachnia: I am still healing from my burns...

Leanna: Ooohh...sorry 'bout that, but you did try to steal Ironhide.

Black Arachnia: I didn't even know he was yours...'course, I would've been able to steal him anyway...

Leanna: What'd you say?

Black Arachnia: Not being pregnant has it's privileges, such as staying slim and strong.

Leanna: Yeah, but being pregnant also has it's privileges, such as giving me a hormonal boost so high, your ass would be blown to kingdom-come!

Black Arachnia: ...Kingdom-what? Whatever that is, I'm sure I'm not going there with your bloated aft trying to kick me.

Leanna: Oh heellll no, you didn't just say that!! (starts fighting Black Arachnia)

chiv-id: Girls, girls, now don't fight! Ack! (dodges plasma shot) Cut the crap or I will personally delete both of you from the story and just make up a new character!!

Leanna and B.A.: (suddenly stop their fighting and stand up) ...Sorry...

chiv-id: (mumbles) Great, my house looks like I had fun with a torch and a gallon of paint...(looks back to audience) Anyway, please review! (mumbles) At least reviews don't create a mess...**REVIEWS!!**


	17. Girl Girl Bonding

chiv-id: Woo, sorry 'bout the non-updating thing. I've got massive amounts of studying since it's finals week and it seriously bites!

Leanna: Tell me about it.

chiv-id: Don't kill me! ...Wait, you're not gonna kill me?

Leanna: Hey, I've had finals too...(shudders) Still haunts me to the day...

Ironhide: Finals? Whatever they are (pulls out cannons), they are no match for me. Show them to me and I will erase these...'finals'...

chiv-id: Hey, chill. Finals are like end of the year exams.

Ironhide: Like yearly assessments? (shudders) Those were the worst...

chiv-id: Whoa...who knew bots could get fears about tests? Anyways:

Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Transformers. That's Hasbro. Begin!

* * *

Chapter 16: Girl-Girl Bonding

"Helloooo…Heeeellllloooooo?" an obnoxious voice seeped into Black Arachnia's audio receptors, awaking her from her peaceful stasis lock, "Hey, there she is! Wake up, B.A., rise and shine!"

"Ngh, who is this 'B.A.' of which you speak of?" Black Arachnia mumbled, turning over on her recharge pad, "Whoever it is, you shall not seek them here."

"That's you, duh! It's your initials!" Leanna replied in a matter of fact tone, "Now get your big ole spider butt out of bed, we're having breakfast and a meeting."

"You fail to remember that I was a Decepticon not four days before," Black Arachnia growled, keeping her optics firmly off, "Yet you persist in this 'relationship'. Why do you continue to do so?"

"Girl, in a base full of guys," she began, "We girls gotta look out for each other. Now come on! Or else I'm gonna have to do a little therapeutic fire cleansing on your-"

"I am awake, desist!" Black Arachnia cried out loud in alarm, springing away from Leanna as she saw the flame thrower out, "Primus, to think I have to have you as my only ally in this Primus-forsaken place."

"Like I said, girls gotta stick together, no matter what," Leanna reminded her, pulling her flame thrower back in, "And I'm really hungry, so how about we get to do some bonding in the kitchen, hm?" Black Arachnia stretched a bit before standing up and following her around. Noticing Black Arachnia trying to remember the whole layout, Leanna turned around and stopped, crossing her arms.

"Think about leaking where this place is, I'm gonna have to torch you," Leanna warned, Black Arachnia blinking innocently, "Yeah, whatever, that buggy-puppy dog look don't work on me, sister. My friend Mikaela invented the puppy-dog look and she's the only one that can pull it off." Huffing, Black Arachnia followed as soon as Leanna started walking again. Ironhide was leaning against the doorway leading into the kitchen, opening one optic as he saw the two femms walking down the corridor. He was holding one cube of energon in one hand, drinking another with the other.

"Morning, babe," she smiled at him, tiptoeing and kissing him on the cheek.

"Indeed," Ironhide replied, watching Black Arachnia with a hateful look.

"Ironhide," Leanna sighed, "C'mon, inside." She turned him away from the smirking Black Arachnia, casting a suspicious glance at the spider femm. Honestly, if she thought she'd take away Ironhide from her, she had another thing coming.

"I see everyone is here," Optimus observed, watching Black Arachnia as intently as Ironhide and every other Autobot, "Now we shall begin. As you all know, another has joined our ranks. I know that you all bear grudges against the Decepticons, but remember, she is Decepticon no more."

"'Ey, Optimus," Jazz spoke up, "She never said anythin' 'bout not bein' Decepticon no more. We gotta do somethin' 'bout that."

"As always Jazz, you think far ahead of what we are saying," Optimus remarked, "But I do agree with Jazz. Black Arachnia, do you solemnly swear and pledge your honor and your soul to serving the Autobot ranks?"

"What honor?" asked Sunstreaker.

"What soul?" asked Sideswipe. Both snickered but earned smacks on the head from Ratchet. Black Arachnia glared at the twins, but sighed.

"I do solemnly swear to pledge myself to serving the ranks of the…the…" Black Arachnia found it extremely difficult to say the last word, "The…the…"

"You gonna say it or not?" growled Ironhide. Leanna glared at him, leaving his side and making him stare at her departure.

"C'mon, Autobots aren't all that bad," Leanna soothed, taking Black Arachnia's hand, "I know you'll love it here. Just give it a chance. Girls stick together, remember? No matter what, I will _never_ abandon you, like that Decepti-creep Starscream."

"…A promise you'll keep?" the spider femm asked quietly, everyone leaning in to hear their words.

"Cross my…spark and hope to…off-line?" she asked confused as how to phrase it, "On my honor and the lives of my twins, baby girl. That good enough for you?"

"…You'd swear on the lives of your sparklings?" Black Arachnia asked incredulously, Ironhide swelling up with anger.

"I'm that serious," Leanna confirmed, "So…won't you be an Autobot?" The look of hope and friendship in those white optics was blinding to Black Arachnia.

"I vow to forever fulfill my duty as an Autobot," Black Arachnia declared loudly, earning looks of surprise, "May my soul be sent to the Pit should I ever desert the side of the Autobots…and Leanna. Thank you…friend."

"Girl friends," Leanna smiled, hugging her. Black Arachnia hugged her back earnestly, glad to have a friend.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Leanna giggled, "Now all we have to do is maybe give you an Autobot name…or do you like your name the way it is?"

"It's…it's fine the way it is," Black Arachnia responded hesitantly, making Leanna look a bit questioningly at her, but shrugged.

"Still, that's a mouthful…how about B.A. for short?" she asked, Black Arachnia frowning, "All right, all right…what about…Spider Girl?"

"You must be joking," she said, Leanna laughing in response.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Leanna sighed, "Hm…how about Nia?"

"Nia?" Black Arachnia was once more confused.

"You know, Arach-NIA," Leanna emphasized, Black Arachnia arching an eye ridge, "Jeez, what name do ya want?"

"My name is fine," Black Arachnia remarked.

"Yeah, but you need a shorter nickname," Leanna sighed, "I can't keep on saying Black Arachnia every time. It's too formal. Like, take me for instance, people call me Lea instead of Leanna for short. Or Optimus Prime, either Optimus, or Prime. Even Ratchet's got a nickname…though I don't really know why they'd choose a name like Hatchet since it's the same length."

"I see you've been talking to the twins over here then," Ratchet glowered, the red and yellow Lamborghini twins smiling sheepishly.

"Anyway," Leanna said, "See? We've all got nicknames…wait a minute, Ironhide, what's yours?"

"Huh?" Ironhide asked, blinking in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your nickname?" Leanna explained, "You know, like is yours 'Hide or what?"

"I…don't have a nickname, I guess," Ironhide shrugged.

"Oh, that's okay," she giggled, hugging him, "You'll always be my 'boo'." If bots could blush, he would've turned a shade there and then.

"Yes…well…come here you," he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her forehead.

"So, Black Arachnia, what'll it be?" Leanna asked, turning to the spider femm.

"I told you, I like my name as it is," Black Arachnia sighed, making Leanna huff.

"All right, that's it," Leanna said, turning serious. She unlatched herself away from Ironhide and pulled her outside and into the med bay.

"'Ey…" Jazz spoke up, "We wasn't done with ou' meetin'…"

"Let them go Jazz," Optimus said, "No loyal Decepticon would claim to be an Autobot and swear their spark on it."

"Yeah, that's what worries me," Ironhide mumbled as he put another cube to his metal lips, "If they weren't loyal before, that means they aren't gonna be loyal now."

"I have a feeling that she may have no choice," Prime chuckled, "For now, leave them be. Leanna can handle Black Arachnia on her own if it comes down to it."

"…" Ironhide was silent as he contemplated this, Optimus continuing with the meeting, "Hey…slagging sparklings." The familiar name for them made the red and yellow twins look up at Ironhide's whispered call.

"Get over here," he motioned, the twins hesitantly looking at each other before sneaking next to him, "Keep an eye on Leanna and that Decepticon femm. If anything happens…you know what to do."

"Yes sir!" they replied quietly, filing out as silent as possible.

"Sending the twins?" Ratchet asked in a hushed tone, startling Ironhide, "Big mistake Ironhide. This is going to end very badly for you."

"Why? Because I want to protect my sparkmate?" Ironhide asked back after wiping away the energon from his mouth.

"No, because you don't trust her," Ratchet remarked, making him splutter again, "And you know that she's more than capable of handling herself against Black Arachnia. She's the one who defeated her, remember? Not even you could take her down."

"That was…different," Ironhide wheezed slightly, trying to get the energon out of his engine, "Besides, it's not that I don't trust her to be able to protect herself…it is merely a safeguard."

"It is your choice Ironhide, but I hope that you will seriously reconsider this," Ratchet sighed, "She's not the small human anymore. She's an Autobot, and a good one at that." Ironhide couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Still…I just don't want her to get hurt again," Ironhide mumbled to Ratchet, who nodded in sympathy, "All right, I'll go call off the twins." Meanwhile, Leanna had dragged Black Arachnia outside and was talking to her.

"Okay, if we're gonna be friends," Leanna started in mock-seriousness, "You need a nickname. I'm not joking, if we can't have nicknames, it'll be too weird."

"Fine, I will call you Lea, and you may call me that…other name," Black Arachnia sighed, "Now may we go?"

"Which other name?" Leanna asked happily.

"…Any but the spider girl one," she said with no humor.

"Fine, then Nia it is," Leanna finalized, "Okay, now we can go in." Upon saying this, however, Black Arachnia stiffened and the other femm noticed.

"…You okay?" she asked, her white optics blinking as Black Arachnia's hesitancy disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Of course," Black Arachnia replied. Leanna sighed as she realized the problem. Taking Black Arachnia's hand, she led her to the outskirts of the hideout, a small hill where one could see the dawn, a large tree taking up much of the hill. Leanna went down on all fours as she reached the hill, making Black Arachnia crouch down as well. She sat on the hill, Black Arachnia following suit, though with stiffness.

"I understand if being an Autobot is kind of weird," Leanna said in a soft and nostalgic tone. Black Arachnia turned to the sadly smiling silver femm, then looked back to the dawn. Leanna sighed as she drew her knees to her chest.

"I love it here," she smiled softly, "This is probably the only place that relaxes me. When I first became an Autobot, I discovered this place, a small getaway-from-it all, you know? I was freaked out about being a robot and when I saw the sunset from here…it just took all of my fears and worries away. It helped me calm down."

"What were you before?" asked Black Arachnia, curious.

"A human," Leanna whispered, Black Arachnia taken aback by the truth, "Yeah, weird huh? Then again, I'm not like any other I guess. I cry, I'm not all wires and circuitry and stuff, and…I have the Allspark and twins." Leanna reached out a hand as she saw the wind ruffle the top of the tree.

"It's not that I don't like being an Autobot. I love being with the gang and Ironhide," Leanna mumbled, her hand still outreached, "It's just that…still…I wish I could feel the wind on my face…or even this hand right here. I'm more sensitive than you guys, but I can't feel wind like a regular human."

"Then you really are like me," Black Arachnia said more to herself than to Leanna, "Techno-organic: half organic, half Cybertronian."

"Yup," Leanna replied, "That's why we gotta stick together. It's not just because we're the only two girl robots on this planet…it's 'cause we're different than everybody else and we gotta look out for each other because we're different. I know that they used to see you as freak back in the Decepticon base…but nobody here thinks of you that way. If they thought you were a freak, they would think I was a freak, too. And trust me, nobody thinks I'm a freak."

"Lea…" Black Arachnia whispered in awe.

"Oh gosh," Leanna scoffed as she felt tears flowing from her optics, "I'm crying again. See? I've still got the weakling stuff of humans…the ability to cry…is this really what being a human is all about? The thing that separates me and the Autobots? Just crying? You all love, you all fight…to me, you guys are just as human as I was actually."

"…There is some truth behind those words that I can see," Black Arachnia remarked, "You have a much deeper side of yourself that I don't normally see."

"Hah," she laughed, "That's because nobody ever really sees this side of me. I guess the only time I ever showed this serious and sad side of me is to Ironhide…then again, we had rough robot sex afterwards so I'm not really sure if that counts…" To this, Black Arachnia stared and Leanna laughed as she saw the other femm's face.

"Oh c'mon, Nia!" Leanna giggled, "You were the one making all those sexual innuendos to Ironhide! Really, I thought you'd be more…I don't know…used to it?"

"Just because I can make sexual innuendos does not necessarily mean I follow through with them Lea," Black Arachnia corrected, "Remember: I'm a freak. No one would mate with me and it has stayed that way for a while."

"Correction: you were a freak. Face the future Nia, you're an Autobot. That officially declassifies you as a freak," Leanna sighed, stretching and laying on her back, "I feel tired…you wanna take a nap?"

"I suppose since you awakened me so early for a meeting we did not even attend," Black Arachnia conceded, "Perhaps we should go back to the base to sleep?"

"Nah," Leanna waved, "We'll be safe here…right boys?" Sheepishly, the Lamborghini twins crept up behind them and rubbed the back of their heads. Leanna could only laugh and smile as they sat down and smiled back.

"These are the other twins, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe," Leanna giggled, "They're the alien-lovable-pranking-twin brothers I never had."

"Hey there Black Arachnia," Sunstreaker welcomed.

"Nice to meet ya," Sideswipe said in turn.

"A pleasure," Black Arachnia said as she shook their hands.

"Hey guys," Leanna spoke up, "We're gonna take a little nap, you mind keeping an eye out for us?"

"Yeah, why not?" Sideswipe said, scooting forward a little.

"We'll make sure you pretty femms won't get snatched away by those bad Decepti-creeps…oh, sorry Black Arachnia, no offense," Sunstreaker apologized.

"None taken," she replied as she lied back, "Thank you for watching over us."

"Okay, g'night folks," Leanna yawned, "Wake us up within the hour…or maybe the hour after…" Soon, the two femms went to sleep with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe watching over them both. How sweet it seemed, both were beautiful in their own way.

"Slagging sparklings!" whispered Ironhide, trying to find them. When he saw Leanna asleep with Black Arachnia, the twins watching over them, he calmed down for a second. He took a seat next to the twins, startling them.

"Did she find out?" Ironhide asked quietly, staring at the sleeping forms of the two femms, "Did Leanna find out?"

"Yeah, but she's cool with it," Sunstreaker said, smiling.

"We never told her you were the ones who sent us," Sideswipe followed.

"Ironhide, that you?" Leanna asked drowsily.

"Oh, yeah, hold on just a nanoclick," he said hesitantly, and then began declaring out loudly, "All right, I know you don't trust that other femm, but we have to put our differences aside. Thank you for watching over them, but I don't think you slagging sparklings could protect my sparkmate as well as she could herself. Think you could sneak out of a meeting under my watch? Go back and tell Optimus I'm just keeping an eye on these two on the perimeter." The twins stared incredulously at Ironhide who silently urged them to go along with it. They sighed as he silently pulled out a cannon and they nodded, but not before Leanna stirred and smiled at them. Motioning towards them, they came closer to hear what she had to say.

"Tell Optimus we'll be here for only a few more minutes, 'kay?" she asked, the twins nodding and running back, Leanna turning back to Ironhide, "Guess the twins don't trust me like you do me, huh Ironhide?"

"Yes…but even though I do trust you, I do fear for you," he admitted, telling Leanna the truth in a subdued form, "You and I both heard what Starscream had planned for our sparklings. I…I fear losing you." Leanna had never heard Ironhide voice his emotions so openly, and looked up at him with her pure white optics. She knew that she had a reason to fear as her Ironhide did, but still, she drew herself up and came over to sit next to Ironhide.

"You would never lose me Ironhide. Never in a million years. And don't forget…I'm pregnant. You think I'd let them take me alive and use my twins against me? Hell to the no, baby, hell to the no." Ironhide chuckled again and hugged her against him, kissing her on the head tenderly. Leanna sighed into his embrace as she watched the last rays of summer fall away, officially the last day of summer. Looking upon the sun, she remembered something quite important.

"Ironhide…what am I gonna tell my folks? I can't tell them I turned into an alien robot, can I?" she said sadly, Ironhide contemplating for moment.

"If they truly are your family, they will love you no matter what you are," Ironhide told her wisely, "If you consider me your family, I love you, human or Autobot. And I'm sure our twins love you as much as you love them."

"Thanks baby," she sighed happily, "I think you are my family, too. I think the whole gang is my family…and now we have a new member. Please go easy on her Ironhide. Nia's been through some rough times…she never says so, but I know so."

"…Fine," Ironhide conceded, drawing a happy smile from her, "But I still have doubt. After all, Decepticons are known for their treachery."

"You worry too much," Leanna giggled, "Sparkmates forever, right?"

"Sparkmates forever," Ironhide grinned, kissing her again. As they curled up together to watch the last vestiges of the sun, Black Arachnia thought somberly upon their discussion. It had made her organic spark flip as she thought of their words.

'Primus…why me? Surely, _surely_, there is another way…' was all she could think as she dimmed her optics completely and went into a short stasis lock.

* * *

chiv-id: Sorry if it wasn't as exciting, but I made a little cliffie at the end! Please rate and review! ...God I am so freaking tired right now... (head conks against keyboard)

Leanna: (whispers) ...You think we should put her to bed?

Ironhide: (whispers back) Yes...she will damage the laptop with her drool...I hate it when humans leak lubricants over machines...

Leanna: (giggles) Yeah, like Chapter 5?

Ironhide: (feigns coughing) Ahem, that was different...come let's put her in her recharge bed.

Leanna: Yeah, whatever Romeo. (both carry chiv-id to bed, Leanna comes back and types) Yo, I know I ain't chiv-id, but I know she'd want all y'all to review, so review, 'kay? Leanna out!


	18. Bound By Secrecy

chiv-id: Another update! First my Hellboy story, now my Transformers story! Or...at least one of them...

Leanna: ...You know what, I'm not gonna say anything.

chiv-id: ...Really?

Leanna: Yup, no words this time, just action! (gets out flame thrower)

chiv-id: Hey! Don't burn the pages! (dodging flame thrower shots) Hurry! Read them before they're destroyed!

* * *

Chapter 17: Bound by Secrecy

"…_Arachnia…Black Arachnia, come in_," a dark, rasping voice called out to her and awakened her from her stasis nap, "_I know you can hear me Black Arachnia…_" Black Arachnia sat up, looking around the slowly brightening room, indicating that it was perhaps 6:30 or 7:00 AM perhaps. She got off her recharge bed and looked out of the window that was put in for her and saw orange fringes on the green leaves of the maple tree outside her window. Sighing quietly, Black Arachnia pressed the circle on the side of her head and spoke.

"_Yes…_Lord_ Starscream_," she sarcastically replied through her com-link, earning a hiss from the leader.

"_You'd do well to address me with _respect_ Black Arachnia, or the fire might be coming from my end instead of the Autobot's_," Starscream threatened.

"_You didn't do much to help me in the first place, my lord_," Black Arachnia accused in return, "_Why should I do anything for you now?_"

"_Are you forgetting where your true loyalties lie?_" Starscream asked.

"_No, of course not,_" she replied as she looked at her claws in boredom, "_They lie at the bottom of the ocean with our great and _true _lord: Megatron_."

"_Don't you_ ever_ speak that name in my presence, again!_" he angrily roared, making her cringe, "_Foolish glitch, he is dead! I am your leader!_"

"_As I seem to recall, Barricade had nearly brought our dear leader back from the Well of All Sparks,_" Black Arachnia retorted, "_Who's to say that he is _truly_ dead, if the Allspark still exists?_" Starscream stayed silent for a moment, garnering a smirk from Black Arachnia's purple lips. However, he began speaking once more, but in a way that made her realize that she had crossed the line. A very important line that had kept Starscream at bay for many a year…until now.

"_You forget…Black Arachnia…who it is you are talking to_," Starscream hissed to her in a dark tone that made her shiver, and then he whispered in a sinister voice, "_I know you're true name, Black Arachnia, and if you want it to stay a secret, I suggest you do as I say. If you think you were truly despised and hated, think again: I will reveal your greatest secret and _then_ where will you be? You'll be as helpless as when we found you! Alone, abandoned on a forbidden planet where even Decepticons feared to pass. We took you in, something you did not even _deserve_!_ _Do not forget your place Black Arachnia! Do not forget…_" His words chilled her to the core and, if it was possible, nearly extinguished her spark with the utter despair that the thought brought to her CPU. The silence she returned brought forth evil chuckling that showed he was in total control.

"_There now, all is well_," he soothed in mock gentleness, "_Remember: with Megatron gone, _I _am the sole guardian of your secret. Megatron will no longer protect you. For whatever reason he took pity on you I will never know, but you won't get any of that from me, little spider. I trust you haven't revealed your true intentions?_"

"_…The Autobots…are as dense as you said they were,_" Black Arachnia managed with a small bit of difficulty, thinking of Leanna, "_Sir, the plan…do you really mean to take the sparklings? They are sparklings after all…_"

"_Have you gone soft Black Arachnia?_" asked Starscream in a dangerous quiet tone, then again mocked her in an annoying rasping voice, "_Or is it your lack to bear sparklings that's gone to your head? Yes! Those twins are the very core factors in our plans!_" Starscream's words stung her and she glowered.

"_And how are you to take these sparklings when they aren't even born yet?_" asked Black Arachnia, "_After all, she's only been recently turned into an Autobot, if you do not recall. The twins must have been conceived long after, and it takes many years for an Autobot sparkling to be born, who knows the number of years for two!_"

"_They'll be born at the same time,_" Starscream replied with disdain, "_I'm not that CPU-slow Black Arachnia, besides, have you considered the fact that she's not Autobot?_" Black Arachnia cursed to herself as she found her trickery to be naught. After all, Starscream was no fool, in fact, one of the greatest Decepticon minds ever to fight. That was one of the reasons why Megatron had chosen him as his second-in-command, and would probably have been the perfect second-in-command had he not been so treacherous.

"_I expect the due date Black Arachnia,_" Starscream flatly stated, "_By nightfall. Dismissed._" Black Arachnia withdrew her hand from her com-link button and stared at a leaf that fluttered in front of her window. Opening it, she took it and crushed it in her hand, a combination of green and orange pieces falling from her fist.

"Hey, Nia, you up?" Leanna called, Black Arachnia closing her fist tighter and sighing.

"Yes, Lea, I am awake," she replied as she took a seat on the giant metal shelf under her window. Leanna slipped in and closed the door, sitting next to Black Arachnia on the shelf.

"I heard you talking…" Lea said, a small wave of panic rolling over Black Arachnia, "Was it a nightmare?" The wave passed and she shook her head, optics staring down at the ground below through her window. Leanna stayed quiet as she scooted closer and rubbed Black Arachnia's back.

"Hey, it's okay to talk about nightmares…that's how I got over mine. Me and Ironhide got friendly that way actually," Leanna suggested, Black Arachnia giving her a look, and Leanna laughed, "No, not that friendly, not yet. I was still human, and I had a lot of nightmares…ever since…ever since my parents and my sister died in a car crash. I blamed myself and that's how it always went in my dreams. But, when Ironhide found out, he talked to me, and he comforted me. Guess you could say that's how we fell in love, even though I was a human with problems and Ironhide was a giant alien robot with a deceased wife."

"That certainly is an unusual love story," Black Arachnia remarked as she turned towards Leanna, "Well, if you insist…"

"Yeah…?" Leanna urged her.

"I did have one nightmare…a particularly…possible nightmare," she began, Leanna nodding, "It was one that involved me and Starscream."

"What, you two were…" Leanna scrunched her face up and Black Arachnia widened her optics with horror, "Oh, okay then, if it wasn't that, then okay."

"Honestly," Black Arachnia sighed, "Have you ever been this…perverted?"

"No, I think it began when I lost my robot-virginity to Ironhide," Leanna replied, "But please, continue."

"…Okay…" Black Arachnia said uncertainly, "Continuing-" Suddenly, the com-link buzzed and Leanna jumped, still not used to it.

"_Uh, hello?_" she said, pressing the circle on the side of her head, "_Who is it?_"

"_It's me, Jazz_," the urban silver mech replied, "_'Ey, got some good news. More Autobots comin' in!_"

"_You're serious? Uh…_" Leanna looked back at Black Arachnia, "_Could we have a meeting _before _we go see them?_"

"_Nope, they comin' right now_," Jazz chuckled, "_What, ain't you excited to see the rest of us?_"

"_No, no, not at…not at all, heheheh_," she laughed nervously, "_It's just that…you know, with the situation with Black Arachnia and all…_"

"_Don't worry, we gonna pop the news away from the base_."

"_Yeah, but-_"

"_Oh, slag, they here, you stay with Black Arachnia._"

"_Jazz, wait-_" a bit of static and Jazz was gone, "Oh, this is not gonna go well…"

"What?" Black Arachnia said, an optic ridge raised.

"We might have a bit of a problem," Leanna told her, "Looks like we got more Autobots coming in…and they don't know about you…" They looked at each other, Black Arachnia looking a bit panicked.

"But don't worry, they'll tell the new guys outside the base. Just…just don't jump them, that's my only piece of advice. Well, I suppose you can tell me more about that nightmare of yours, remember? It's better to, you know, let it all out."

"N-no, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes…it really was unimportant anyway…"

"Like something about rabid school books trying to eat you?"

"What?"

"Well, that was my nightmare. Pretty weird huh? I'm an Autobot now, but I'm still worrying about school, haha!"

"Yes…quite…"

"Oh, looks like the cravings're actin' up again! You mind staying here while I grab us some energon? Man, I must look like a pig drinking it all up…"

"No, not at all. Please, go fetch the energon if you wish…and whatever this 'pig' is, I'm sure you do not look anything like it."

"Aw, thanks Nia, you're the best! Okay, stay right here, don't try webbing out the place, 'kay? Just jokes, see ya in a minute!" Leanna got up and walked to the door, waving as soon as she was in the door way and exited.

"…Now what?" Black Arachnia sighed, running a hand over her helmet. The techno-organic spider femm looked at some leaves that managed to fall into the room because she left the window open. Some of the crushed pieces of the leaf she had destroyed flowed in as well. She took the pieces and leaves and tried to force them out, but the wind seemed to be mocking her as they came back, right into her face.

"Fragging plant life!" she snarled, tearing the rest of the leaves up. Air intakes heaving slightly, she calmed down and her cooling system helped keep her that way. Staring at the pieces, she noticed that they had formed a face, one that seemed to be cruelly laughing at her, reminding her of Starscream. With another frustrated yell, she sunk the talons on her back into the ground before her, trying to destroy the face.

"Nia? What's wrong, you OK?" Leanna asked, coming in with the energon. Black Arachnia froze, then withdrew her talons, sitting back on the bench and looking out the window again.

"I'm serious Nia, if something's troubling you, just come to me, OK? Here, I'll leave you with your thoughts and some energon. Just think about it," Leanna said, putting the cup of energon next to Black Arachnia on the window sill. She left the spider there, giving her a worried look as she departed the room. Black Arachnia looked at the door as if she were going to say something, opening her mouth, but the door closed, and so did the spider's mouth. She looked down, putting her head on crossed arms.

"Leanna, I'm sorry," Black Arachnia whispered, "Forgive me…" She curled up further, deciding to go into a stasis nap once more to get rid of the feeling. Meanwhile, Leann was worriedly drinking her energon, wondering what was wrong with Black Arachnia. Sure, she was an ex-Decepticon who often maimed and raped her mech-victims and was deemed a freak of nature, but Leanna had thought that they had worked out that little complex already.

"I guess she can't help but feel like an outsider," she wondered to herself, sipping her energon again, "…What can I do to help her feel better? She doesn't want to talk about it, so I guess I just have to wait on that part, but what else?" Looking around the kitchen they had fashioned, she found her gaze on some random blown up pictures from Mikaela's camera on the walls. One was of Optimus, standing nobly outside, looking up at him. Another was of her and Mikaela when they were younger, upon Leanna's request, just to remind herself time and time again her true self. The one to the right of that one was of Leanna and Ironhide snoozing together, everyone had laughed at that one. Others were of some wrestling matches, or trips to parks, and etc.

"Wow, we really had some awesome moments," she said, looking at a picture that was up on the ceiling, of all of them standing in a circle and looking down at the camera. Leanna, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jazz, Optimus, and Ratchet, one big mechanical family. That suddenly gave her an idea. She smiled to herself as she took another sip of energon, trying to figure out what they could do. The whole day she just sat there in the kitchen and pondered, only stopping when her com-link crackled to life. Man did the time fly by!

"_Hey, Leanna_," Sunstreaker called over the com-link.

"_Sunstreaker? Howzit? You get the new guys yet?_"

"_Yup, but you might wanna hide Black Arachnia for a few cycles. The bots are a little on edge, knowin' we got an ex-Decepticon in the ranks._"

"_Ugh, would you tell those babies that she's on our side and that I trust her completely?_"

"_We already gave them that part_," popped in Sideswipe.

"_Ugh, fine, but if they try to hurt her in any way, let 'em know they have to go through me first. Or Ironhide, then me, then Nia, knowing Ironhide. Well, can't I just tell her to stay in her room for a few minutes?_"

"_…I guess, but please don't get mad at any of them._"

"_I agree with Sideswipe_," Optimus spoke up, "_Because of Black Arachnia's situation, the line between Autobot and Decepticon has been blurred, confusing them. Besides, with the Decepticons still massing their forces, we do need them to be on our side. For the sake of this war and your twins, do not chase them away._"

"_Now you're making _me _the bad guy_," Leanna said sourly, "_Fine, I'll be nice, I mean, can't blame them I guess._"

"_Thank you, now, come outside and meet the arrivals,_" Optimus said, "_I'm sure you're interested in who has come_."

"_Course!_" Leanna said happily, putting her energon down, "_You wanna tell me their names or keep it a secret_." She giggled as she walked down the hall, giddy.

'Funny, maybe I'm getting my mood swings,' she thought. She heard silence and shrugged, looking around as she continued walking. Finally, she reached the hangar that was the opening or entrance to the base. Her face lit up as she saw Optimus and the team, along with several others.

"There you are," Optimus said, a smile on his face.

"Wow, there's a whole bunch of you guys now, huh?" she smiled back at him, walking next to him. Ironhide came over and smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Men, this is the new member, her name is Leanna," Ironhide told the newest bots, "Leanna, I'd like you to meet some of my old friends. They've fought beside me many times during our battles. Here, this is Wheeljack, the Autobot's number one inventor and technician." He brought her over to the green, black, white, and red Autobot, a visor covering his optics, vaguely reminding her of Jazz.

"Thanks Ironhide," Wheeljack said, "And you, my dear, why, I had never envisioned such a beauty would join up with this old bot." She giggled and smiled, Wheeljack looking a little stunned, then turning his head away for a moment to cough a few times into his hand, trying to rid himself of the reddening of his cheek plates.

"Nice to meet you," she replied, "But I'm Ironhide's, thanks for the compliment though." Leanna giggled again, Ironhide looking down at her.

"You all right?" he asked. She giggled again.

"Never better! Must be the mood swings!" she smiled brightly again, "C'mon, introduce me to the others!" Ironhide nodded, smiling at her.

"And this is Hound, one of the best scouts in our ranks," Ironhide said next.

"Hey there little lady," the green bot said, "Heard you had a little trouble with hologrammin'."

"Yeah, how'd ya know?" she asked, then looked to Ratchet who shrugged with a smile, "Never mind."

"I can teach ya if you want," he offered, pulling up a hologram easily. It was a military soldier dressed in the standard camo and olive green uniform, black hair sticking out under a cap.

"One of the best hologrammers in the ranks, little lady," the hologram said, smiling at her. She laughed and then squatted down for a closer look.

"I wouldn't be calling anyone little right now," she replied jokingly, poking the hologram, "I'll let it slide this time." Leanna stuck out her tongue and winked, then stood back up as the hologram got turned off.

"Much obliged," he said, winking back in return. Leanna then turned to a blue mech who seemed to be staring at her, although he instantly turned away when caught.

"And who might you be?" Leanna asked.

"Uh, me? I'm Bluestreak!" he replied, "And I wasn't lookin' at you funny or nothing, hahahaha…" An awkward silence arose, and he covered his mouth in embarrassment.

"It's happened, the Pit has frozen over," a voice said out of no where, "Bluestreak has finally been silenced!" Leanna looked around, wondering where it came from and began walking around when she bumped into something, but there wasn't anything there.

"Mirage, quit playing games," Hound scolded, the bot finally reappearing in front of Leanna, "Show off…" The blue and white mech before her stood tall and proud, Leanna tilting her head to get a good look at him.

"Got me!" he laughed, then took Leanna's hand and smiled at her, "I'm Mirage, and may I say what a pleasure it is to meet you. You look even more beautiful than Ironhide had described you." She laughed and mock curtsied.

"And a pleasure it is to meet you as well Mirage," she told him, "You sort of sound like someone from the elite side of town or somethin'."

"Well, as a matter of fact-"

"Okay," Ironhide broke in, taking Leanna's waist and pulling her toward him, "Now don't try no slick moves on my femm, got it?"

"Ironhide, we were just playing around," she laughed, her mood still light, "And remember, you'll always be my boo. Love you!" Leanna jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his cheek before jumping down.

"So, are you guys the only ones who landed or is there another mystery invisible person?" Leanna asked, looking around.

"Nope, just us four," Bluestreak said, regaining his voice, "At least, that's what I think, I really never was good at math, but then again, kind of odd since I'm a machine. And what's with-"

"Okay, that's enough," Wheeljack said, putting his hand in front of Bluestreak, "Why don't we go inside? I'm in sore need of some energon."

"Oh, of course," Leanna said, playing the gracious hostess, "I already got out a case, help yourself!" She walked in, the rest following.

"Huh?" Leanna reached the kitchen faster than the rest of them, and saw Black Arachnia pouring himself some energon, "Nia? …Nia!" She looked back as she heard their foot steps.

"Oh snap!" she whispered to herself, grabbing Black Arachnia by the arm, "You're not supposed to be here!! You have to go back to your room!!"

"I thought you said that they already knew about my situation?"

"Well, yeah, but they're still kind of freaked, so you gotta hide!!" Black Arachnia looked a little alarmed by Leanna's own panicked state, and nodded. She was about to walk out the door when Leanna pulled her back.

"No! They're out there right now!" Leanna whispered to her.

"Well, then where am I supposed to hide then?" Black Arachnia asked. Leanna shook her head, not knowing until she saw some webbing stuck to Black Arachnia's hands and she smirked. Several seconds later, the rest of the bots entered the room with a smiling Leanna setting out some cups of energon.

"There you guys are, thought you got lost!" she happily told them, though she seemed a little more nervous.

"These mood swings are…normal? Nothing is troubling you?" asked Ironhide, sitting himself down on a chair when she went around behind him and hugged him.

"Yeah, just be glad when I'm being happy," she whispered to him, her arms draped across his shoulders and his neck to connect to each other, "Since I'm actually just a little frisky, I might be willing to do something tonight…" She trailed off, the other bots fortunately lost in their drinks and talking, too distracted to notice. Ironhide froze up as she planted a kiss on the back of his neck, and she reached over and took a drink from the table. Leanna sighed, but quickly winked when he subtly turned around.

'That should keep him from asking questions,' she thought, smiling as she turned away and proceeded to walk out the door, 'Besides, I might just get some fun…' Before she completely walked out, however, she looked back at him to make sure he was watching. Ironhide was indeed staring at her, though there was a definite hunger in his optics that made her smile. She slid her leg up the door frame and hugged it before exiting, enticing him a little just to keep him interested. Leanna had hoped that no one else saw, but she heard a few hoots from the kitchen that made her sigh.

"Nia, you get out okay?" she asked, the spider having crawled from the ceiling in the kitchen to the ceiling in the hallway.

"Yes, but I think the question is," the spider femm smirked, "Is if you'll be okay…saw your little show by the door. You really know how to get your man, don't you?" Leanna giggled as the femm jumped down from the ceiling a good distance away from the kitchen.

"Just gotta know how to turn 'em on," Leanna said, "Now's your chance to get back to your room, go!" The ex-Decepticon rushed back to her own room, not too eager to see the new Autobots just yet. Leanna then decided to go back to her and Ironhide's room, wanting to get some rest. Before entering however, she thought for a moment and groaned, looking at the rest of the rooms.

"Great, the only empty rooms are next to Ironhide's room…" she sighed, "I'm gonna have to commission someone to put in soundproof walls and a door. I wonder if we can shut off our vocal processors or whatever…ugh, that won't solve the problem about the banging noises…I have one crazy night ahead of me. The things I do for my friends…" With that, she entered and prepared herself, after all, this was her first time she had pursued the activity instead of Ironhide. She was guessing she had to make it convincing that she really did want the attention tonight.

"_Oh Leanna…_" came a voice over the com-link that made her shiver, "_Hope you're ready, it's almost night…_"

"_…Course baby! Hahaha…_" Leanna sighed, "What'm I gettin' myself into? He's gonna eat me alive…" With that, she laid down on the bed to get some rest, she was going to need it…badly.

* * *

chiv-id: Okay, so we got some new guys in the equation, namely, Wheeljack, Bluestreak, Mirage, and Hound. If you guys want any particular Transformer in here, just give a shout out in the reviews, and I'll be sure to include them.

Wheeljack: So, we were requested?

chiv-id: Nah, I just chose you guys 'cause you're awesomeness!

Hound: Why thanks little lady.

Leanna: I'm glad we got more friends around, but do they have to be all guys? The amount of robot mech testosterone is killing me...

chiv-id: Mmm, I'll think about it. But until then, please review!


	19. Calm Times

chiv-id: Jesus, I haven't updated this thing since summer!

Leanna: Uh huh.

chiv-id: Sorry everyone, I was just trying to get through Senior year and college and stuff like that...

Leanna: Uh huh.

chiv-id: And I've got Senioritus!

Leanna: Uh huh. Girl, there's no such thing as Senioritus!

chiv-id: What about the time you said you couldn't finish that report on Stalin? You said it was because of...?

Leanna: ...Okay, I get the point...but it ain't a real disease.

chiv-id: Technically, it's a psychological one. Anywho, moving on, let's get crackin'! Chapter 18 is finally here!!!

Leanna: I'll do the disclaimer:

Disclaimer: chiv-id does not own Transformers, Hasbro does, but she does own me. Alright, go on, read!

* * *

Chapter 18: Calm Times

The new arrivals seemed to bring along with them a long period of peace. There seemed to be little to no Decepticon activity, easing Optimus and the rest of the Autobots' frayed circuits after the threat on Leanna's twins and Leanna's abduction. Despite the deadline being no where in sight yet, it still worried them seriously.

"We need you to stay here at the base," Ratchet had once said to her, "We need to monitor your condition."

"Perhaps the reason why the Decepticons have not shown themselves lately," Optimus offered to her later while she was moping around the base, "Is because they are waiting for you to leave here. Please, I know you are not pleased with the fact that you must stay here, but it's for your own good, and the twins." Every time she had tried to leave the base just for a drive around Tranquility, she was always stopped by one of them, even Black Arachnia pitched in. Leanna decided to try and make a quick escape during the night, but found that Black Arachnia was nocturnal.

"Going somewhere?" she had asked, her four red eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Nia! Hi! Uh…no…" Leanna replied dejectedly, and sulkily walked back to her chambers. Since Leanna didn't want a repeat of what had happened that night when the other bots joined their group, she decided to sleep in with Black Arachnia. It was just too embarrassing, and in the morning, she had found that the other bots were actually slapping him on the back and hooting. She had retreated to her room and packed her things there, but she found it extremely amusing when Ironhide had thought she was leaving him, like in those soap operas he was watching a few days ago with Ratchet and Bumblebee, all of them calling it "research". Still…

"Ugh, so not happening again," she murmured to herself as she fell back into stasis. Luckily, this gave her an excuse not to face her uncle, who had no doubt been trying to contact her over the summer. She was already supposed to be in college, but she really didn't want people knowing that she was a giant 20 foot robot. For 4 whole months, she was confined to the base. Luckily, the nausea had disappeared, but the mood swings were still in session, not to mention having pains down there despite not having her period any more.

"This is natural, right?" she asked Mikaela when she was going through a particularly painful cramp, lying down in an attempt to alleviate her pain.

"Yeah," Mikaela answered, touching Leanna's giant pinky in response, "My aunt had a few kids and she's always had cramps when she was pregnant."

"Did she have twins? Was she a giant alien hybrid robot human? Because I seriously doubt it hurt this bad!" she hissed through her clenched glossa.

"She also mentioned the crankiness…" Mikaela sighed, patting Leanna's finger.

"You know, I heard that when you're pregnant, you have to pee all the time," Sam spoke up, and both of the two females looked at him, "What? My mom said that…my dad complained about it, too, 'cause mom always hogged the bathroom. Can you pee when you're a robot?"

"All right, going to a different room," Leanna grunted as she pushed herself up, Mikaela following as she shook her head. So, now it was almost Christmas time, and the humans were starting to get into the festive spirit, Leanna being an exception as she personally offered to drive the human teenagers to get their presents.

"Leanna, I know that we've told you this time and time again," Wheeljack interjected, "But it is imperative that you stay here. There's far too much at stake and-"

"Yes, Decepticons bad, hurting twins bad," Leanna waved her hand dismissively and glowered at all the bots in the room, "Did you know that depression hurts pregnant women's babies?!? I'm serious! Depression includes anxiety and that'll really put some strain on the kids. You don't let me do this, I swear, I'm gonna explode!"

"Leanna, you don't under-"

"Yes I do! Look, I really do appreciate your guys' concern, but…keeping me here safe is no worse than the Decepticons keeping me prisoner! You guys ever think about that?" Everyone seemed to stop and think, even Sam and Mikaela.

"Sure, I'm surrounded by Autobots instead of Decepticons, but same idea!" Leanna shouted, "I love you guys, honest! But, c'mon, I can't stay here forever during my pregnancy! Please…please, just let me go out for once!" The bots thought for a few minutes, leaving Leanna to heave an exasperated sigh as she sat down in a berth near the hangar door.

"Great, still gonna say no," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Leanna, if you wish to go with Mikaela and Sam," Optimus said hesitantly, "Then I believe it would be…all right." She looked at him with wide optics, staring at him as he chuckled and nodded.

"Oh thank you so much!" she smiled widely, then ran and hugged Optimus, "You are _so_ awesome! Mikaela, Sam, let's go, now! Before they change their mind!" She snatched up the kids and transformed into her vehicle mode, speeding off quickly, but not before she gave a howl of freedom.

"Guess being here at the base must've made her a little crazy," Hound suggested, shrugging, "Maybe somebody should follow her, you know, just to make sure she's all right." Ironhide was the first to volunteer, but Optimus shook his head.

"The Decepticons already know what your vehicular mode looks like," Optimus sighed, "We need one of the newer arrivals. Hm…"

"Oh, I'll do it," Mirage volunteered, but Ironhide growled and the bot backed down.

"Prime, I'll go," Wheeljack offered, "I've been getting more and more interested in the human culture anyhow. This will be a most opportune time to investigate!"

"All right Wheeljack," Optimus nodded, "Proceed. Remember, if there's any trouble, you know what to do."

"Yes sir!" Wheeljack saluted, then transformed and rolled on out after Leanna.

"He's going to blow up something…isn't he?" asked Bluestreak after a short while.

"…I honestly can't guarantee that something like that _won't_ happen…" Optimus sighed, "I just hope that Wheeljack doesn't attract too much attention." Meanwhile, Wheeljack had caught up with Leanna and was following her to the mall where everyone had already started Christmas shopping. It was Mikaela who found Wheeljack tailing them, his red Autobot symbol gleaming in the sunlight.

"Well, that's real stealthy," she scoffed as she jerked a thumb over, "Hey, Lea, Wheeljack, right?"

"The hell?" she said, using her rear view mirror to check out the Ford Mustang with the familiar paint job, "Still think I'm gonna get in trouble…typical Ironhide."

"_Actually, it was Hound, but close guess_," Wheeljack com-linked, Leanna feeling like rolling her eyes, "_And it was a unanimous decision, Leanna. Besides, I'm merely tagging along, as the humans say, just to observe human nature at this…mall._"

"_Well, by all means, tag along Jack,_" she responded, "_Just don't get left behind…eating my dust!_" She laughed manically as she zoomed forward, Wheeljack soon out of sight and left behind.

"_I'm sorry to say, my dear,_" Wheeljack spoke up, cutting her laughter short, "_But your dust tastes terrible. Why don't you have some of mine?_" Wheeljack then suddenly appeared again, and raced past her with ease, causing her to cough on his dust, literally.

"_A race, huh? You're on!_" Leanna smirked inwardly and the two raced side by side until they reached the mall, where Leanna had to lead the way because he had no idea what a parking lot was.

"Okay, just reverse here and-" Leanna's hologram cringed as Wheeljack dented the fender of a Suzuki Outlander, "Perfect. Inch out a little and we're good! Just gotta leave a note…" Mikaela did it for her and Leanna sighed.

"Though I may not be the best of hologrammers," Wheeljack began, a man stepping out of the driver's seat, "How do I look?" He had styled white hair, but looked to be in his middle to late twenties, wearing a black dress shirt with the red and white Autobot logo on his right breast. On top of that was a white jacket, with white pants and black shoes to end it. White rimmed glasses hung on the edge of his nose, the lenses were square and they were a little dim, giving his "eyes" protection from the sun.

"A little too fancy, anything casual?" Leanna asked, the hologram nodding as he changed it to just a normal white T-shirt with a small Autobot logo on the right sleeve, an image of a huge explosion on the back. He had black jeans and black shoes, his premature white hair now having black tips on it. He still looked to be in his middle to late twenties, though, and he still had the glasses.

"Wow, you clean up good, Jack," Leanna admired, "Jeez, all you guys have really hot holograms. I bet you'd be a chick magnet if everyone weren't so focused on Christmas shopping already."

"A what? Chickens have magnets? I must catalog this new information!" Wheeljack said, "Note to self: test magnetic field of farm fowl!"

"Oh brother," Leanna sighed, "Look, first off, chickens aren't magnetic, that was a…term we use for guys who are really hot."

"…I am on…fire?" Wheeljack said, looking at himself.

"This one's gonna need a lot of work," Mikaela sighed, shaking her head, "Physically attractive. She means you are _phy-si-ca-lly a-ttra-ctive_." Wheeljack cocked his head for a second before looking at Leanna.

"So…the term for being physically attractive is…hot?" Wheeljack said, and the whole group nodded.

"Yes! Okay, bolts for brains," Leanna walked up to Wheeljack, "Listen, you may know a lot about machines and Cybertron, but _we_ know all about humans and lingo, so follow our lead and just don't speak. The more you do…the more you look like some geeky foreigner."

"That is a bad thing?" Wheeljack asked, Leanna smacking her hand on her forehead.

"…You've been in your lab wwaaaayyy too long. Like you said, Kae," Leanna sighed, "He's gonna need a _lot_ of work." Leanna took his hand and led him to the front of the mall, where the bustling of the holidays looked more hassle then merriment. Leanna had a secret list in which she allowed no one to see, planning to buy everyone a gift, so she went out on her own, leaving the mech and the two other teenagers to talk amongst themselves.

"So, Christmas is a time when humans exchange meaningless articles of clothing and drink a substance produced from eggs?" Wheeljack asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, "This does not seem like a very enjoyable event…"

"No, it's also about being together with your family and friends," Sam replied, "Besides, eggnog isn't all that bad. Oh, and there's a bunch of stuff you do when it's Christmas, like decorating the tree or putting stockings up by the chimney if you have one."

"But, remember," Mikaela held up her finger and looked at both of them, "It's all about doing all this stuff with your friends and family. That's the important thing, because, even if you don't have all this stuff…" Mikaela scooted closer to Sam and hooked his arm and kissed his cheek.

"You still have the people you care about by your side," Mikaela smiled and Sam smiled back. Wheeljack blinked and watched the exchange, but felt someone tap his shoulder and he turned around. A Japanese foreign girl with dyed blonde hair and giant sunglasses placed on her head was smiling at him, her tight white and black striped tang top and black miniskirt with a giant panda beanie made his eyebrow lift again.

"Hello," her accent was somewhat pronounced, definitely meaning she was a foreigner, "I am Yuriko, who are you?" Behind her, a giggling troop of Asian girls were watching the encounter carefully, and Wheeljack cocked his head to stare. However, Leanna seemed to arrive just in time, her gifts and presents all in giant white brand-less bags that would keep everyone guessing as to what she got.

"Whoo! Jeez, you could not believe the lines," she gasped, dropping the bags on the ground next to the table, startling the Asian girl. Leanna looked to the Asian girl who stared right on back and Leanna blinked.

"Hey…uh, you a friend of Sam's or Mikaela's?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. The Asian girl shook her head and quickly bounced off towards her posse, the whole group moving off quickly.

"What was that about?" Leanna asked, plopping herself in a chair.

"You just saved Jack here from being raped by FOBs," Mikaela laughed.

"FOBs? Fresh off the boats?" Leanna asked, turning around and looking at the fleeting forms, "Oh…ooohhhh!!! Told ya you were a chick magnet!" Leanna nudged Wheeljack and he shrugged in return.

"She told me her name was Yuriko," Wheeljack looked up in thought, "Yuriko…classification: FOB, fresh off the boat." This got everyone laughing.

"Okay science man," Leanna giggled before looking serious, "I'm almost done with my shopping, but I think I might need your help with this one…" Leanna blushed in afterthought and shoved the bags towards Sam and Mikaela.

"Don't look," she warned before taking Wheeljack by the hand and dragging him away. The two teens looked at each other and shrugged before getting up and grabbing some coffee from a stand not too far away.

"Okay, promise you won't tell _anyone_ about this," Leanna held up a pinky in front of Wheeljack's face, "Pinky promise."

"Um," Wheeljack uncertainly grabbed her pinky with his hand, "I promise." Leanna linked her pinky with his own pinky, making sure he looked into her eyes. Satisfied, she turned and entered a body shop where Wheeljack gave a confused glance.

"Leanna, what are we..?" Wheeljack stared as he saw Leanna's vehicular form driving into the garage, "Is that your alternate mode? What is it doing here?"

"Shh!" Leanna pressed a hand to his mouth and looked around, "Wheeljack, is your com link on?"

Shaking his head, he stopped as a few greasy looking men entered the room with them. Leanna turned swiftly and retracted her hand, smiling.

"Hey guys," Leanna flipped her hair, "Long time no see."

"'Ey! It's Leanna!" one of the men greeted her in an Italian accent with a big hug, careful not to get oil on her, "Whatcha doin' here, huh?"

"I've got a special job for ya Joe," she winked before pointing to her 'car', "I need to get this baby buffed up, and, uh…could you…" She whispered something with a nice healthy blush on her face to Joe.

"Oh, gonna fix it up to surprise somebody, 'eh?" Joe chuckled before motioning to the others, "Tony, Benny, c'mon, we got a special order up!" They grabbed paint cans and spray guns and got to work on Leanna's other self. Wheeljack cocked his hand as he saw the paint fly and buffers buff, Leanna twitching randomly at the feeling.

"Okay, we're all done," Joe wiped his forehead, "An' only half an hour! Say, that deserves a little somethin' somethin', don't you?" He took off his read cap, revealing greasy oily black hair, but she only smiled and kissed him lightly on his forehead.

"Thanks! Sorry about catching you near lunch hour," Leanna winked to Wheeljack who only gave her a confused glance, "You guys take five now!"

"Ah, no problem!" the Italian mechanic shrugged before ushering the two other mechanics out, "Give ya some…bondin' time, eh?" They exited and Leanna giggled.

"Okay, looks like the paint's still wet," Leanna's hologram passed a hand over her hood, "Wheeljack, I need your honest opinion."

"On what?" he replied, extremely confused, "Why are we here?"

"I want to surprise Ironhide…" she shyly dug her foot into the ground as she looked down, "So, I got a paint job…"

"…That's why we're here?" Wheeljack scratched his head, "What does a paint job have to do with the concept of Christmas?"

"Well, some gifts have wrapping…" Leanna gave a secret smile before her hologram zipped out. Her vehicle form carefully transformed, scared of messing up the paint.

"Some don't," Leanna finished and she modeled, "This is going to be my present to Ironhide. You think he'll like it?" Wheeljack gawked as she showed off her new look, and she giggled.

"Do _you_ like it?" she asked, Wheeljack nodding slowly, "I knew it! So…you'll keep this a secret?" Wheeljack nodded again, but didn't say anything as she transformed again.

"Whoo, that was the last gift!" Leanna wiped her hand against her forehead as her hologram came back online, "…Jack, you okay?" Wheeljack had a slight blush on his face and he continued to stare at Leanna's car form.

"C'mon," she dragged him away, "Stop the ogling, you're going to give it away!" Finally, they came back to Sam and Mikaela who had gone through at least two coffees each. Both of them were still sitting at the table with bored looks.

"What took you guys so long?" Sam groaned, looking at his watch after he dragged his hand down his face.

"Just had to do a few last things," Leanna turned to Wheeljack, "Which reminds me, I'm going to buy one last thing, but I promise it'll only take a few minutes. You guys wait here again and I'll go get it." Leanna bounced off, giddy with excitement as she marched to the gift-wrapping section, getting several bundles of wrapping paper and a roll of luscious red material, soft as satin. She smiled and rubbed her cheek against the roll, feeling its softness. However, she pulled back and wondered for a moment if Ironhide would even appreciate it…again, she smiled as she tapped the roll with a finger. On Christmas, Ironhide would very much appreciate it after she showed him its purpose! Not wanting to spoil the surprise, she hurriedly backed her vehicular self out of the driveway and quickly covered her own form with a holographic projection of her old paintjob. When she returned, they lugged all of their presents into Leanna and Wheeljack, the sheer amount of presents requiring the two of them both.

"Wow, kind of bought a lot, huh?" Mikaela remarked, then suddenly squealed, "Oh my God, this wrapping paper is so soft! Can I use it to wrap some of my presents?"

"Sorry," Leanna took the roll of red satin material out of her hands, "I have a feeling I'm going to need all of it…" They drove back, Leanna taking care due to her secret paintjob, and unloaded the presents in Black Arachnia and Leanna's room, shooing out Wheeljack and Black Arachnia as soon as they came back.

"What's with those two?" asked Bluestreak as he saw them booted out.

"As if I could know what little two-legs do these days," Black Arachnia shrugged before using her talons to attach herself to the ceiling and began walking with her talons above the heads of the mechs.

"That still creeps me out," Bluestreak whispered to Wheeljack, the inventor nodding as he looked back to the room.

"_Wheeljack, Wheeljack come in,_" Hound's voice radioed over the com link.

"_Wheeljack here, what's up Hound?_" Wheeljack responded.

"_We've got a group of humans here who're lookin' for trouble._"

"_Trouble? What kind of trouble?_"

"_Said they saw your holoform chattin' up one of their girls at that mall thing you all went to._"

"_Girls? Oh, Yuriko, classification FOB_."

"_FOB?_"

"_Fresh of the boat as I've been told, I will be there shortly_."

"_All right, better be here quick or I'll have to bother Prime out of his stasis nap…guy's tired himself out lookin' for Decepticons_."

"_Don't worry, we won't have to bother Prime about this. Over and out_," Wheeljack shut off his communicator and strolled out, pulling up his holoform before approaching the gate that led to the junkyard that held the Autobot base. Hound greeted him, a toothpick in the holoform's mouth and sitting on an abandoned picnic table that was rusted with age.

"Hey, motherfucka," said the Asian bad boy, speaking with a distinct Japanese accent, "Who you think you are? _Gaijin! _You come near Yuriko again, I kill you!" He wielded a metal bat and banged it against the fence, his crew backing him up with yells of "_gaijin_" and "_teme_". Hound gave them a warning look, lifting his hat to make sure they saw his eyes and they stopped for a while.

"Highly improbable," Wheeljack pushed his glasses up, glaring at them after, "Even so, it was not me who approached her, but she who approached me. I believe your 'FOB' has a malfunction in her memory core." The boys looked confused, but had recognized the word "FOB" and shouted at him.

"What you call us, white boy?!?" the leader yelled again, this time slamming the bat at the gap between the gates and broke the lock, rushing in. Hound stayed seated, but had a dangerous glint in his eye as three of the six Asians surrounded him. The other three, including the leader, stalked Wheeljack and the leader smacked the bat against his hand.

"Classification: FOB, fresh off the boat," he replied simply, and shrugged, "That is what you are, am I right?"

"No," the leader scoffed and then ran at Wheeljack, aiming for his stomach, but a certain female voice stopped them.

"Koji!" the girl named Yuriko was staring at them on a scooter, having followed them to the junkyard, "_Yamete!_ He did not do anything, I like him!" She gave a shy wave to Wheeljack who blinked.

"You mess around with _gaijin_?!?" he yelled back at her, pointing the bat at him.

"I can talk to who ever I want, Koji! We in America now, free!" she pointedly glared at him, "If you don't stop, I will tell 'Kaachan!" The boy continued to huff with anger, the bat quivering as it pointed at Wheeljack, before paling as she pulled out a cute Panda phone, complete with a panda charm. He reluctantly called back his group, but not before looking at Wheeljack.

"Don't come near my sister again," he growled, "Or I _will_ kill you next time." He got in the car and waited for his sister to start up the scooter and put away before following.

"This certainly raises some questions, I reckon," Hound pushed up his hat, smirking, "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"No, but I have a feeling that I need to research this…'FOB' classification. Apparently, it might be an offensive term, and Leanna seems to have forgotten to mention this to me," Wheeljack stated dryly, "Is your shift nearing its end?"

"Yeah, but I'm thinkin' Prime needs a few more cycles if you know what I mean," Hound winked his holographic eye before zipping out, his alternate form coming up to block the gate should someone try and enter. The very ancient lock was there more for the warding of suspicion than actually keeping intruders out, and if the lock was gone, other hooligans might want to try and raid the junkyard or an inspector might come snooping around, which was probably worse.

"I'll scan for another mechanism," Wheeljack promised Hound, who only gave a flash of lights before staying quiet. Wheeljack's hologram dissipated and Wheeljack went to work, scanning for another lock in the junkyard and looking up FOB at the same time. Feeling that the Asians might return, he felt it was better to be prepared. Meanwhile, Prime just shook his head as he watched the screens of the security cameras they had set up. Bluestreak had come in and awakened him, telling him that they were back safely before staring strangely at the screens.

"Well…at least he didn't blow up anything," Bluestreak offered a shrug and Prime only sighed at the incident.

"Tighten the security around the perimeter," Prime ordered Bluestreak, who relayed the message to the rest of the bots, "Wheeljack has caught the attention of some humans and we may have a breach should they wish to 'visit' again."

"Will do!" Bluestreak nodded before looking at Wheeljack who had found another lock, "…Um, sir?"

"Yes soldier?"

"What if…say…there were more humans who are going to be here?"

"WHAT?!?" Bluestreak cringed at Prime's outburst.

"Well, I happened to be patrolling as usual and there were these people who liked my alt. mode. I tried to get away, but you told me to obey street lights and they were red, which reminded me of Decepticons so I remembered-"

"_Continue_ Bluestreak…"

"Yes sir…anyway, I put my hologram on and they asked me if…if I…how did they say it? 'Liked to drop it like it's hot'?" Prime had no answer for the mech's confusion and just nodded for him to continue.

"Well, I guess if it's hot, then I would've had to drop it, so I said yes. And they asked if I knew where I 'got down'…and I thought they meant where I rested, so before I knew it I said at the base!" Prime groaned and placed his head in his palm, knowing that they were merely looking for somewhere to have party.

"I'm sorry! I spoke without thinking, sir, and it just came out! They persisted in asking me and I couldn't keep my hologram up any longer so I told them where the base is! They wouldn't stop following me! I…I was scared…they threatened to beat me with large metal poles if I didn't tell them!"

"Beat your hologram?"

"Yeah, my--…hologram…that I don't feel any pain from if it is damaged…" Prime just sighed again and looked at Bluestreak.

"Do you know when they plan on coming here?

"Perhaps in a week? They threatened me again that if I didn't prepare it for them that they'd beat my alt. mode…"

"…Just tell the others to be on alert…"

"Yes sir…"

* * *

chiv-id: Bluestreak, you really have a big mouth.

Bluestreak: Ahem, who was it who said I had to get beat up by hostile humans? Just once?

chiv-id: Mirage.

Bluestreak: ...Huh?

Mirage: Don't get me involved, femm.

chiv-id: Geez, touchy.

Mirage: Once Bluestreak begins to complain, there's no stopping him.

Bluestreak: It was you?

Mirage: Oh Primus, here we go again-no, Bluestreak, I did not order a direct attack on you.

Bluestreak: ...Okay.

chiv-id: (whispers to Mirage) Not the brightest of bulbs...alrighty, that's it for the 18th chapter, see you next time! Reviews!


End file.
